Live By Your Blade Part I
by Moonlit-Kira
Summary: Kira Yaiba's is one of the best bounty hunters in the East Blue and one of the best swordsmen ever. But when she joins the Straw Hats, she has to rescue her friends, fight her growing attraction to the crew's swordsmen. Full summary inside. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything related to it. But I do own my all of my OC's**

**Full Summary: **Kira Yaiba is a bounty hunter who gets caught up in our favorite pirate crew. Now she has to deal with the crew, rescue her friends, and fight her growing love for the crews swordsman, all while trying to keep her secret from getting out. Follow Kira as she deals with pain, betrayal, piracy, and love. The first part of a two part series.

A/N: I wish I could say this is Kira but it's not :( It's actually her besty Gail (Yeah, as in Moonlit-Gail) As of now, I'm posting an updating this for my friend because her computer is a schitzo douche. The thing works one day then crashes the next. I swear it does that just to torment Kira. But don't worry, if she has anything funny to say, I'll definitely put it in the author note along with my own commentary :D

Don't forget to review for my besty please. And she would also appreciate constructive criticism. Now remember, there's a difference between constructive criticism and hateful bashing. The latter is not appreciated and we sure as hell don't tolerate it. Now, while Kira would just say please don't do it, but I will say that and add more. Your mama has probably told you this but I'm gonna reiterate: If you ain't got nothing nice to say, you should shut your pie hole and keep moving!

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Excuse my friends grammar and spelling. I've tried to fix as much as I can but until Kira find's herself a Beta or something, you'll have to put up with Kira's butchering of the English language. I swear, I wonder how she passes LA!

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One Piece- Live by Your Blade- Part One.

'If this bastard doesn't get his hands off of me within the next ten seconds, he's going to wish he was never born!' you thought as you let out a low growl. "Oh, so you're a feisty one, eh? Perfect." a greasy, young man said, smirking. You were not in a good situation right now. You were chained up to a wall of an abandoned warehouse. In the middle of an island. Where no one can hear you scream. The worst part of the situation, to you, was your beloved swords lay broken, just out of reach. The sight of them dulled and broken almost brought tears to your eyes. Almost. You spit in the man's face. "Why you little bitch!" The man sneered, slapping you across the cheek. You spit out some blood and smirked. "Is that the best you got? I've been hit harder by little girls." This little comment of yours made him even madder. Not one of your better ideas.

The man took out a dagger an positioned it at your stomach. You just remained there, impassive. You were not afraid of death. If you were, how could you accomplish your dream? To your surprise, and dismay, though, he didn't plunge the weapon into you. Oh no. He used it to cut your black muscle shirt strait down the middle, exposing your black sports bra. He quickly discarded the piece of fabric that was once your shirt and stared at you with hungry eyes. "You know your wanted poster said the marines wanted you dead or alive. Nothing said I can't have fun with you before I kill you." he said. Your eyes widened. 'Oh, crap.' was the only thing that ran through your mind at the moment. He reached down and slowly unbuttoned your black, baggy, cargo pants.

The chains hanging from them clinked together as you struggled against you bindings. The man punched your gut, knocking the wind out of you. You lurched forward on impact, your dark brown bangs shadowing your eyes. When you stopped moving the man began again, slowly unzipping your pants. 'This is it.' you thought. The man took this opportunity to crash his lips onto yours in a rough kiss. Your eyes widened in shock. He forced his way into you mouth as you were too stunned to do anything. You just stayed their frozen. Your mind clouded over. Your eyes dulled. You couldn't do anything. This was really it….

Suddenly, you heard a crash coming from the direction of the entrance to the warehouse. As your senses came back, you realized your situation. You bit down on the man's tongue. Hard. He retreated quickly as you spit out the metallic tasting liquid you drew from him. Another crash was heard and this time the man noticed as well. You heard shouts coming from the same direction of the crashes and listened, straining to hear the voices. "Meat! Meat! Meat!" You recognized the chanting voice as a male. "There's no meat in hear, you blubbering idiot!" This voice was female. "You should know by now our captain's practically mental." Another, deeper, male voice said, but this one was calmer than the other. A group of kids, in there mid to late teens, stopped in front of you and the man, more than likely containing the owners to the voices.

You stared at them, blood trickling down the side of your mouth. You studied them for a minute, judging most of them to be about you age, maybe a couple years younger for some. The man stepped up to them, dagger in hand. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" He sneered at them. That's when the group noticed you. Hanging right in front of them, your feet barely touching the ground. All that was covering you was your unzipped pants, black sports bra, and the dozens of scars that littered your body. But something caught their eye. It was a little piece of metal on your stomach. Yes, that's right folks. Kira Yiaba has a belly button ring. It was a shining silver in the shape of a dolphin, and it's eye was a glimmering amethyst jewel.

'Are they just going to stand there?' you thought, sending them a questioning gaze. "Bastard! That's no way to treat a woman!" a boy around your age, with blond hair, wearing a suit and tie, and smoking a cigarette, said. 'Is this guy for real?' you thought, raising an eyebrow. "I'll treat her however the hell I want! When I'm done with her, I'll kill her, turn her body in to the marines, and become rich off her bounty!" he declared. 'Damn! If only I had my swords!' you growled in your head, glaring at his back. "This girl has a bounty? No way!" A boy with shaggy black hair, covered by a straw hat, said. You recognized the voice as the dubbed 'blubbering idiot', and you couldn't help but agree with the girl that called him that.

"Don't sound so surprised!" you yelled at him. You couldn't help it, he dealt a blow to your pride. "A bounty! Of course she has a bounty! This 'girl' is Kira Yiaba. The famous bounty hunter! Her name literally means 'killer blade'! She was second only to Roronoa Zoro! And I captured her!" the man boasted. "She's the best bounty hunter, huh? Doesn't look like much to me." said a boy with…green hair? He was about your age. Nice build. Carried three katanas at his side. And three golden earrings, dangling from his ear. All in all, he wasn't half bad to look at. And if your mind wasn't so clouded, you probably would have recognized him.

Unfortunately for him, he, like the other boy, dealt a blow to your pride. "Doesn't-? Doesn't look like much! I'll show you 'doesn't look like much'!" You screamed thrashing against the shackles. You hated being underestimated. "The only reason Roronoa Zoro is the best, is because I never got a chance to fight him!" you screamed. The guy with the green hair had an amused expression on his face. He walked up to you, drew one of his swords, and cut the shackles that were holding you up. You were so shocked that when you dropped to the ground you stumbled a bit before righting yourself again. He walked a bit before turning to face you. "Well then, lets fight." he said smirking. "Fight? Oh, god. You're Roronoa Zoro?" You asked, shocked. 'Me and my big mouth.' you thought.

You basically just said that the greatest pirate hunter in the East Blue, was weaker than you, right to his face. And if the rumors you heard were true, he's just as easily angered when it comes to his pride as you are. It's not that you doubted your ability at all, it's just, you really are in no condition to fight right now. Especially sense that man-. You cut off your thoughts as you remembered the man was still there. You quickly scanned the room for him, and saw him trying to escape. You charge at him and dealt a deadly kick to his ribs, causing him to go flying across the building. When he smashed against the wall, you heard a sickening crunch, which you could only guess came from a couple broken bones. Not that you cared.

You stalked over to him, like a lioness stalking her prey. "That was for catching me off guard." You dealt another blow. "That's for trying to rape me." Finally you slammed your foot into his head, smashing his scull in. "And that's for breaking my katanas!" you screamed in anger. The group of teens flinched at the sight of the man's head smashed.

As if mentioning your katanas broke some kind of spell, you immediately ran to them. Your feet leaving bloody foot prints, in your wake. You bent down next to them, and dropped your head, eyes shadowed by your bangs. 'Father, brother, you entrusted me with you swords and I let you down.' You thought as your eyes filled with tears, but you didn't let one fall.

'This is going to come back and haunt me I just know it.' you thought, looking up from under your bangs. "Roronoa Zoro…" you spoke up. The group of teens stared at you questioningly. "I know the chance to do battle with you might not come again soon, but…I can't right now. I know we will cross paths again, and when that time comes I will fight you…and I will win." you said determined, tears forgotten.

Without waiting for a response from your long time idol (not that you would ever say that to his face), you turned on your heel, katanas in your arms, and started towards your only exit. You took about two steps before you heard some of them gasp. "W-what happened t-to your b-back?" one of them stuttered. You heard feet clanking on the concrete telling you that they stepped up. You turned around to see a little…deer-like creature? It was walking on two legs, had a pink hat on, and had a blue nose. The little guy's antlers barely came up to your hip.

'God, this group's weird.' you thought, with a slight chuckle. "What do you mean?" you asked, tilting your head to the side, cutely. "You have a huge scar on you back! How do you take it so calmly!" You glanced at the slightly younger boy, that was talking. He had long nose, curly hair that was kept out of his face by a bandana and a pair of goggles, and you could just make out a slingshot at the side of his overalls. You cocked an eyebrow him, watching him flip out. On your back was an inch-wide scar that goes from your right shoulder to your left hip. It hurt like hell when you got it about a week ago, but now the pain was gone, so you didn't think much of it.

"Uhh…if you hadn't noticed, I'm a swordswomen. I got scars all over my body. It's not that big of a deal." you said. "H-how did you get it?" you glanced over to an orange haired girl. She looked about a year or two younger than you. "A fight." you said simply. You chuckled as you practically saw steam coming out of her ears. 'Quick temper.' you thought. "No duh! Who did you fight!" she almost screamed at you. "Oh." You scratched the back of your head. " 'Hawk-eye' Mihawk." you answered. " 'Hawk-eye' Mihawk! Are you crazy! You fought him and lived!" 'long-nose', as you dubbed him in your head, shouted. " It's shouldn't be surprising, you know. I am aiming to be the world's greatest swordswomen. I'd have to fight him eventually. I just used that battle to gage how much more I need to train in order to beat him. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. He was passing by and I, being the idiot I am, challenged him. Didn't think he would actually let me live. I kind of wish hadn't, though." you mumbled the last part.

"Why?" You were shocked that the 'blubbering idiot' actually heard you. You contemplated on whether or not to tell them. Not seeing anything wrong with it, you decided 'Why not'. "He dealt the finishing blow to my back. That's shameful to a swordsman. Back in the day, to dishonor a swordsman you'd slash their back and leave them to live. If you wanted to kill them, use it as the finishing blow. Either way it's shameful." you said looking down. "That's stupid!" You felt your eyebrow twitch in anger at his statement.

"You were left alive. Think of it as a blessing. So what if you got slashed in the back! It's just a fight!" The 'blubbering idiot' said, laughing. "Just a fight? Just a Fight? Who do you think you are?" you screamed at him, outraged. "Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be the pirate king!" He shouted, laughing. "I still don't get why your so upset." He said, seeing your mad face. "Luffy, shut up." Zoro hissed under his breath, knowing were your coming from, being a swordsman himself.

Luffy didn't hear him however. "You don't get it? When you get shamed in a battle you can't just laugh it off. Being a swordsmen is a life style, not just a hobby! You live by your blade! I can't speak for any other swordsman, but I can speak for myself! I'd rather die than be shamed by another's blade!" As you ranted on a strong gust of wind picked up, and your eyes flashed a glowing ice blue. You turned on you heels and fled the scene, clutching your swords to your chest, not caring that they cut your arms.

"Idiot!" the girl with orange hair said, smacking the back of his head. Luffy just grinned like the idiot he is. "I want her on my crew!" he shouted. "Why? You just basically made fun of her life style. And she was such a pretty girl to." The blond hair boy, sighed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "I was testing her. Seeing if she would stick up for it. She past!" Luffy said. "Again I say, our captains an idiot." Zoro sighed. "G-guys. T-take a look at t-this." The deer said kneeling next to the place you were standing at. "What is it Chopper?" 'long nose' asked. Everyone gathered around Chopper to see what was so important. There, right where you were standing, was a pool of blood. The rest of the crew glanced at each other, before following after you, quickly.

**With You**

'Stupid idiot! God, not even a week and I already showed my powers, again. Hope they didn't notice. Ashley would kill me if they did.' You sighed at the thought of one of your best friends. You chuckled slightly at the thought of all the times Ashley scolded you and your other friend Tori, for something stupid you did, Hana already cleaning up the mess you made. You sighed. 'I hope we meet again soon.' you thought. You finally got to the dock, seeing your little dingy, you sighed in relief. You were a couple steps away from it when you suddenly collapsed. 'What the-' your thought was cut off when you are attacked by sudden waves of pain. Your head started spinning as you slowly tried to get up. When you were finally standing, you gritted your teeth in pain. You looked behind you to see a trail of blood leading all the way back to the wear house. You gently placed your katanas down and settled next to them, breathing heavily. 'How the hell did I not notice this sooner.' you thought groaning in pain.

"Hey, there she is!" you quickly jumped to your feet in an offensive stance, causing your head to spin and you to get dark spots in your line of vision. You relaxed slightly noticing it was just the group from before. "I want you to join my pirate crew!" Luffy shouted. "Not going to happen. I won't ever become a pirate." you growled as the others caught up to their hyperactive captain.

"Why not?" he sounded genuinely confused. 'Why not! You idiot!' you were about to say your thoughts out loud, when a particularly painful sensation racked your body. You hissed and gritted you teeth. It was almost unbearable. You shut your eyes tight waiting for it to go away.

"Hey, you alright?" you heard Zoro's voice ask. You nodded slightly, when another painful tremor happened. You stopped mid-nod and quickly shook your head 'no'. "Turn around." You recognized the voice of the little deer, tell you. You slowly turned around, and heard several of the group gasp. You were about to ask what was wrong, when your vision got really blurry.

You lost your balance and fell backwards. You thought your back was going to connect with the wooden dock, and you shut your eyes waiting for the pain. When it didn't come, and you felt a pair of strong arms encircle your waist, and your back, instead, made contact with something firm, but soft at the same time, you opened your eyes to get a glimpse of green in your still blurry vision. 'Zoro?' was your last thought before being completely consumed by darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece just my OC's**

****A/N: It's Kira's besty again, Moonlit-Gail! Her computer's still on crack and acting like a witch with a capital "B"! Anyway, she wanted me to update this for her and thank a few people.

Thanks to XxNaiXx for being the first to review. Kira really, really appreciated it. Thanks to Magic126 for faving and subscribing. Thanks to UnperfectButLovingIt and NarutoGal8 for subscribing. Thank you to anyone else who read, Kira appreciates it. Enjoy the new chapter and don't forget to review and subscribe to the story alert so that you know when this is updated :D

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**Time Skip**

Your eyes fluttered open as a groan escaped your lips. You slowly sat up, minding the now dulled pain in your back. 'Ugh, where am I?' you asked in your head, looking around the room. "I see you finally woke up. How do you feel?" your head swiveled around looking or the source of the familiar voice. When you looked around you saw none other than Roronoa Zoro leaning against the door frame. "Better, thanks. Where am I?" you asked, sweeping the room with your eyes once again.

Other than the bed you were laying in, you saw a small table with medical supplies, a small counter, papers sprawled everywhere, and a small window in the corner of the room. "Our ships medical ward. That was some major blood loss you had there. Chopper said that you opened up the scar on your back because it wasn't stitched or properly bandaged. He said you're lucky that it wasn't infected." Zoro said in a stern voice. "Chopper?" you asked.

He nodded. "The ship's doctor. He said to take you to meet the rest of the crew when you woke up, so let's go." He said, pulling you up by your hand. You pulled back. "Crew? I thought I said I'm not joining your stupid crew!" you yelled, angry. "Look, Luffy doesn't know the meaning of 'no'. If he wants you on the crew, he won't stop till you are." Zoro sighed. "Great, just great." you mumbled under your breath. "Come on. They're all waiting in the kitchen." he said and walked off. You followed closely behind. As you came to a stop in front of a door, you strained your ears to understand the mumbling that came from the other side.

You could only hear bits and pieces of the conversations going on. "Kira Yiaba. Now I know why that name sounded so familiar! She's supposed to be one of, if not, the greatest female swordsman in all the West Blue! Some even say the whole world!" you recognized the voice as belonging to the girl with orange hair. "I have as well, navigator-san. She, supposedly, uses two swords to take down her opponents, or, if they're not available to her, she's a master in three different styles of martial arts." said another female voice. You could have sworn you saw only one female with the group; so, she probably stayed back on the ship.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Zoro glance at you. Apparently he heard as well. You shrugged it off and walked inside. As you entered, the whole room became silent almost instantly. The awkward silence was broken by the girl with orange hair. "Hi! I'm Nami, the navigator on this ship!" she introduced. "And I'm Robin, the ship's archeologist." said a polite raven haired girl, that looked maybe a year or two older than you. One by one, the crew introduced themselves.

"I'm Sanji! And, my beautiful, fair maiden, I am your faithful chef!" the boy with blond hair said, making a failed attempt at flirting with you. You heard Zoro scoff from next to you. "I'm the brave captain Ussop!" you turned your attention to 'long nose' when he said this. 'Why do I find that hard to believe?' you thought, sarcastically.

"Don't believe a word he says." Zoro's gruff voice whispered in your ear. It took all you had to suppress the shivers his voice sent down your spine. "I'm Tony-Tony Chopper" the little deer-like creature said, shyly. You almost smiled at how cute he was. You were about to say your thanks, when…

"You know me, I'm Luffy! The captain!" Luffy shouted with an idiotic grin on his face. You growled at him and turned you face in the other direction. You were still very much pissed at the so called 'captain'. "What's your problem?" Luffy, so stupidly, asked. You marched up to him, grabbed the front of his red, button-up, vest, and slammed his back against the nearest wall.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you all, right here and now!" You growled. "What?" you heard Nami gasp. "I have 'Straw-hat Luffy', 'Demon child Nico Robin', and 'Pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro' all in the same place at the same time. Seems like an easy catch to me." You said.

"Then if you're so sure your able to fight us, why did you run away from your fight with Zoro?" Luffy asked, smirking from under the brim of his straw hat. "That's different. Don't say things you don't understand." you seethed, pulling him up and slamming his back against the wall again. You didn't need some pirate telling you how to fight. "How?' he asked, calmly.

"I spent the last four years of my life trying to find him so we could do battle with swords! I'm not about to fight him with my fists. I'm a swordswomen first and a bounty hunter second. But that doesn't mean I can't beat him, or any of you for that matter, with my bare hands." you told him, trying to get through his thick head. The crew, especially Zoro, looked a little shocked at what you just said.

I mean spending four years of your life trying to find someone, and then realizing you can't fight them, after you finally found them. That's got to suck. 'She's got spirit, that's for sure. And she's easily the most devoted swordsman I've ever seen. No matter if she's a girl or not. I'll be happy to fight her, when the time comes. But, for now, I have to stop her from killing that idiot.' Zoro thought, a ghost of a smirk on his face.

You raised your fist, getting ready to slam it into Luffy's stupid face. Before it made contact, though, a large, rough hand grabbed yours, stopping it in its path. Another arm came and wrapped itself around you bare stomach, stopping you from your advancement on the captain. You dropped Luffy to the floor, as the arms pulled you back.

"Killing him isn't going to help, you know." Zoro said, still holding onto you, in case you snapped again. "So, it would still make me feel better." you mumbled so only Zoro could hear. He chuckled as you relaxed. He slowly took his arms away from you, but kept them hovering there, just in case. When he was sure you wouldn't attack Luffy again, he released you completely.

"Luffy tell her it was just a test! Now!" Nami hissed at her captain. 'Test?' you thought. "Oh, yeah. I was just testing you to see if you would stick up for your dream. You passed!" Luffy exclaimed, happily, like you didn't just try to kill him. You gritted your teeth in annoyance. "Idiot." you mumbled. Then a little louder you said. "Word of advice: Never piss off a swordsman. Ever." and with that you walked away from Luffy.

"Hey." Zoro called to you. You turned to him. "So, four years, eh?" he asked, causing you to blush a light pink. Zoro smirked. 'She actually looks pretty cute with that blush.' he thought.

"Don't read too much into it. I just heard of your skills as a swordsman and knew I'd have to meet you eventually if I wanted to be the best. Besides, I was looking for someone with real strength to fight, someone who could last more than ten minutes in a battle with me. Those weaklings barely deserved the right to call themselves swordsman. I was just looking for even a slight challenge." you said, looking anywhere but at him. You blush darkened as he chuckled slightly.

"How about a deal?" he asked. This got your attention, as well as the rest of the crew. "I'm listening." you said, slightly skeptical. "I decided I want to fight you, as well. But, since you don't have your katanas with you, sail with us 'til we reach the next island and you can get a pair." You looked ready to object but he cut you off. "I'm not asking you to join our crew. Just sail with us 'til we can fight. Wouldn't want four years to go to waist, now would we." he chuckled seeing you blush again. "After our fight, if you still don't want to join, I won't make you." he said, his eyes never leaving yours.

The crew looked a little shocked that the normally passive swordsman would say something like that. Luffy wasn't too keen on letting you get away, but he trusted his first mate's judgment. You thought it over in your head, weighing your options. "Fine." you finally said, albeit reluctantly. He stretched out a hand for you to shake. You looked at it, and thought over it. 'This is stupid.' you growled in your head. 'I know, I can't.' you sighed and shook your head. The crew gave you a questioning look. "Sorry, I can't." you shook your head more fiercely. "I can't! Sorry!" you cried, running out of the kitchen and onto the deck.

It took Zoro a matter of three seconds to figure out what just happened. He quickly ran on deck to see you running up to the railing. Your head whipped back and forth, trying to spot an island close by. 'Damn it!' you mentally cursed. "Wait!" you heard Nami call out after you. "What?" you asked, getting annoyed. "There's not another island for at least another twenty miles." she explained.

"Only twenty? Sweet, I thought it would at least be another thirty." you muttered, getting ready to dive in. 'All I got to do is swim far enough away that they won't see me. Then I'm home free.' you thought getting ready to dive in. "You shouldn't go in with that wound not totally healed! You'll just reopen it!" you heard Chopper call out, frantically. 'Just let me go! God these people are stubborn!' you thought. You dived into the crystal blue sea, sighing contently as you hit the water.

**With the crew**

"God she's just as stubborn as you, Zoro. Is it a swordsman thing?" Nami asked. Zoro growled in annoyance. "I'll take that as a yes." she mumbled. "I don't care if it's a swordsman thing or not! We need to get her back! She could seriously hurt herself!" Chopper said frantically. "Zoro, go-!" Chopper was cut off by a sudden splash. He looked around to see Zoro was missing, indicating he jumped overboard. "Yep defiantly a swordsman thing." Nami said. Usopp nodded in agreement.

**With you**

You kicked yourself to the surface and started swimming as fast as you could to get away from the ship, and it's annoying crew. For some reason, though, you started thinking back to the crew, more specifically: Zoro. 'Ugh, this sucks! I know the dude for two days, and I can't get him out of my mind. I made the right choice, right?' You heard a splash behind you, and you whipped around to see the source of it. You saw Zoro's green hair coming towards you, and before you knew it he was right in front of you.

"What was that?" he asked, slightly irritated. You closed your eyes and tried to swim away, again, but he grabbed your arm. "Come on. What's so wrong about us?" he asked. "Besides the fact that your captains an idiot? Nothing. I-I just can't go with you, okay?" you said, barely above a whisper. 'I can't risk getting attached to the crew. It's almost time.' you thought.

"No. Not okay. You're coming with us." he said, firmly. "Why? Why do you care so badly if I come with you or not? And don't you dare say it's because of your captain." you demanded from him. "Because…you're interesting. You're not like other girls. I like that. And I can't wait to fight you." he said. "Is that enough reason for you?" he asked. Without knowing what you were doing, you nodded numbly, blushing brightly.

He grinned, and slid his hand down your arm, to grab your hand, leaving goose bumps in its wake. 'I swear he's doing this on purpose.' you thought, your blush fading, so your face became just dusted with a light pink. Zoro swam back to the ship you in tow. You started thinking about why you were acting this way around him.

You were so deep in thought that you didn't realize that you were already at the ship until Zoro called up to the crew. "Hey guys! Throw down a latter!" "I got a better idea, Zoro!" Luffy shouted excitedly. "Uh, oh. Better hang on tight, Kira." Zoro muttered, as he moved his arms to wrap around your waist. You instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck, in response. "Gum-Gum Pistol!' You heard Luffy shout.

"What-!" you were cut off by two rubbery arms wrapping themselves around you and Zoro. You tightened your grip around Zoro's neck and buried your face in his chest. You whimpered softly as you landed on deck. You felt Zoro's chest vibrate as he chuckled. "Scared of heights?" he asked, still chuckling. "Shut up." you mumbled against him. "Are you all right, Kira?" Nami asked.

You kept your tight grip on Zoro, and kept your face buried in his chest. You opened your mouth to speak, but all that came out was a choked sob. You were shaking like a leaf, and your eyes were shut tight, trying to stop the tears that threatened to spill out. "Zoro, take her to the infirmary." Chopper said, worriedly. Zoro's arms tightened around you for a moment before he swept one arm under your legs, and picked you up bridal style. He silently carried you back to the medical ward.

"Hey, what's up? You don't deem like the type to get shook up that easily." Zoro said as he gently laid you down on the bed. "N-nothing. I j-just don't like heights. That's all." you managed to choke out, turning your back to him. "Well, umm…If you ever need to talk…or something…you , know…What I'm trying to say is-" "It's okay, I get it. Thanks." you cut him off, giggling slightly at his stuttering. You gave him a small smile to reassure him. He scratched the back of his head and gave a lop-sided smirk back. "Chopper should be back in soon to bandage up your back, again. Until then, you should rest." He said. "I'm not a kid. I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt." you pouted, slightly.

You hated being in the doctor's office. Normally, on the rare occasions that you do go there, they forbid you from fighting for a while. You ignored them, obviously. "Really? Then why don't you sit up?" Zoro said, still smirking. You steadily pushed your arms under you, and gingerly tried to sit up. When you finally did, you hissed in pain.

Your eyes were shut tight, and you bit your lip so hard, it bled. Zoro sighed, leaned forward, and wiped the blood trail off your chin. "Your so stubborn." he said, still cleaning off the blood. You lightly blushed and looked away. "Hey, are you embarrassed? It's okay to show pain, you know." he said, lightly grasping your chin and turning your face back too look at him. "No it's not. It shows weakness." you said, eyes downcast, since you couldn't look away because Zoro was still holding your chin.

"It's okay to show it once in a while. No one is going to think any less of you because of it." Zoro said. While he was talking, your eyes started to brim with tears. "Yes they will! I'm not supposed to show weakness! If I do they'll-!" you cut yourself off by covering your mouth with your hands. Tears were streaming down your face by now and you sobbed into your hands.

Zoro frowned. He gently took your wrists and pulled your hands away from your face. "Who's 'they'? What'll 'they' do?" he asked in a stern voice. "Please don't let them take me back! I don't want to go back." you whimpered. Zoro sat down next to you pulled you into his lap. "You're a part of the crew now. We won't let anyone take you away." He said wrapping his arms around you and letting you cry into his chest.

You thought about what he said, and decided that maybe being on a pirate crew might not be so bad. After a few minutes your sobbing died down. "Are you okay?" Zoro whispered to you. You slightly nodded against his chest, not trusting your voice. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? Chopper will probably bandage you in the morning." he said, laying you down on the bed.

"K." you mumbled out in a weak, hoarse voice. God you hated this. You felt so weak! "Oh, and no late night swims, okay?" he smirked at you. You smirked weakly back. You smiled lightly at his retreating figure. Well, maybe, if you have _him _to take care of you, showing a little weakness isn't so bad, after all. You gently laid your tired head on the soft pillow. Your last thoughts were on a certain green-haired swordsman before you fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so so so so sorry! I know I've been a meanie and I haven't updated this in FOREVER! And I'm remedying that right now. School's been hectic the last few months fitting in the last few things we need to know for exams and then actually taking exams. Both Kira and I were studying for our Algebra exam, and while updating wasn't the last thing on either of our minds, it kinda go pushed to the side because of our busy schedules. But as you have realized, it's summer vacation and now both of us have nothing but time on our hands. I've made it my mission to update this weekly and my job to make sure Kira continues to write.

Thank you to **sunshineandmoonlight **for subbing and reviewing. And giant thank you's to anyone else who's reviewed, subbed, of favorited. Kira appreciates it. I'm sorry if I've missed anyone.

Now for the story! Enjoy!

~Gail (Kira is here in spirit lol)

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You were tossing and turning in the soft bed, in the middle of the night. You were having a horrible nightmare. You let a soft moan escape your lips. A cold sweat dripped down you contorted face. "Zoro." you whimpered in your unconscious state. Suddenly, you jerked up, eyes flying open. Your breath was hitched and you were gasping to catch it. You brought a shaky hand to your face and sighed. You gently pulled back the covers and swung your legs over the edge. You quietly crept outside and into the cool night air. You took a deep breath, filling your senses with the salty sea spray. You walked forward and leaned against the railing of the ship. You just stayed there, eyes closed, enjoying the cool breeze.

"What are you doing up? Your not trying to swim away again, are you? I really don't want to get wet again." You jumped about three feet in the air as Zoro's husky voice penetrated your thoughts. "Holy crap, Zoro! Don't scare me like that!" you almost shouted, your hand over your heart as if it would slow down its beating. He let out a chuckle. "Not funny." you pouted. "Why are you out here anyway?" he asked with another chuckle. "Why are you?" you countered. "It's my night for watch." he said matter-of-factly. "Oh." "You still didn't answer my question." he said crossing his arms over his toned chest. "I…I had a nightmare. Nothing much." you stated simply.

"Oh, really?" he said as he sat down against the railing you were leaning against. You slid down the railing, sitting next to him. You were fighting to stay awake. Your eyes kept fluttering closed and your head was lolling to the side. "Hey, if you're tired, go to sleep." Zoro said, glancing at you. "I'm fine." you said, tiredly. 'Stubborn.' Zoro thought, looking at your tired face, and his eyes softened, slightly. After about another two minutes, your head landed on Zoro's shoulder, and you were fast asleep. Zoro shifted so his arm was around you. You unconsciously snuggled up to your source of heat, which happened to be Zoro. Zoro lightly blushed as he stared down at your sleeping face. After a while he fell asleep himself, his head resting on yours.

**Next Morning**

You groggily fluttered your eyes open to be met with the sight of a grinning Robin and Nami, a confused Usopp, Chopper and Luffy, and a fuming Sanji. A look of confusion flashed on your face before you realized your position. You lightly blushed before nudging Zoro to get up and sitting up yourself. He sat up rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What's going on?" he asked, only half conscious. "What the hell do you think you're doing to Kira, you Crap-Swordsman!" Sanji screamed at Zoro, aiming a kick to his head. "Nothing you shitty Love-Cook!" Zoro screamed, jumping to his feet, and blocking Sanji's foot with the blunt end of his newly drawn sword. "Can both of you shut up long enough to realize we've hit land!" Nami shouted over there bickering. "Land? Yeah, Land! Land! Land! Land! Land!" Luffy chanted. 'Are they always like this?' you thought, raising an eyebrow.

"Who is staying to watch the ship, and who is going to restock?" Robin asked, always the logical one. "I want to go exploring!" Luffy exclaimed. "How about Sanji and I go restock? Luffy can come with us so he doesn't get into trouble. The rest of you can stay here." Nami stated. "Umm…I'm going to go get my katanas. And probably a new shirt, to." you said, gesturing to the black sports bra, that was the only thing covering you. You didn't know that when you mentioned that, a certain swordsman blushed a bright red. "Why would you want to? You look so beautiful like that!" Sanji said, again trying and failing at a desperate attempt to flirt with you. Zoro scowled at the cook. "I rest my case." you said, punching Sanji in the gut, not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to get your point across, and knock the wind out of him.

Sanji staggered back slightly, at your strength, but no real damage was done. This caused Zoro to smirk. "Sure you can. Why don't you take Zoro with you, too? You never know when the marines could show up." Nami said, smirking. "If you want to." you said turning to Zoro. He simply shrugged his response, and unknown to you, was admiring your strength (not that he'd ever tell anyone that). Without you realizing it, a smile lit up your whole face, and Zoro couldn't help but think that you have a beautiful smile. "Okay, let's go!" Luffy said, sprinting down the dock. "See you later guys!" Nami called, running after Luffy, Sanji in tow.

**Time Skip**

"Hey, think there's a place I can get some decent grog in this town?" you asked Zoro, while you were walking down the dirt road. You stuffed your hands into the pockets of your new shirt. It was a black muscle shirt like your other one, but this one had a hood and pockets in the front, like a sweatshirt. "You drink?" he asked. "Nothing too fancy, but I love a good cup of grog." you said, shrugging. "I think we just past a pub. I could go for some too, actually." Zoro said. "Sweet! Mind if we take a detour?" you asked with pleading eyes. "Sure." he chuckled, at your cute face. "Yes! Grog here I come!" you shouted, turning around and walking towards the pub. Zoro chuckled again, and followed after your retreating figure.

You stopped in front of the double wooden doors, gazing at it. You heard the feint sound of two instruments playing, a piano and a flute. 'There's no way.' you thought, doubtfully, dismissing it. You pushed the door open to be met with an all too familiar sight. Drunken men everywhere. 'Great.' you thought sarcastically. "Hey there, little lady! Why don't I buy you a drink!" a particularly drunk man, slurred. "No." you calmly said, walking past him. The man was about to ask again, when Zoro gave the man a glare.

"Whoa, sorry buddy. Didn't know she was taken." the man said and walked off, but not without sneaking a glance at your butt. Zoro blushed slightly, at the thought of you being 'his', but quickly shook the thought out of his head. You paid no attention to what went on behind you as you scanned the pub.

Your eyes landed at the back of the building, where you saw two girls playing said instruments you heard outside. You froze at the sight of them. "You okay, Kira?" Zoro asked placing a hand on your shoulder. "Yeah." you said snapping out of your trance. "Hang on a second, okay Zoro?" you didn't wait for a response as you started making your way to the musicians.

"Playing without me, huh? So evil." you smirked as they stopped playing and gasped. "Kira?" the bleach-blond flutist asked. You nodded smiling. She squealed and ran to hug you. "Good to see you to, Hana." you said hugging her back. "What about me?" the brunet pianist asked, pouting slightly. You released Hana and walked over to her. "I missed you just as much, Ashley." you said hugging her as well. "Same here, Kira." she said back. "Yo, Kira! There you are. Why'd you run off like-" Zoro cut himself off, upon seeing Hana and Ashley.

He looked them over, wondering about the connection they have with you. Hana had straight bleach-blond hair that went just past her shoulder, and icy blue eyes. She was wearing a light blue tank-top, and a pair of khaki Capri pants. Zoro also noted the bow and arrows on her back. Ashley had light brown, curly hair that went down to her mid back, and was pulled back in a pony-tail, and blue eyes. She was wearing a light green muscle shirt and faded jeans. She also had a blue jacket tied around her waist. And, like Hana, she carried her weapon diagonally on her back, only hers was a bow staff.

"Oh, sorry about that, Zoro." you said sheepishly. "Wait, Zoro? As in Roronoa Zoro? You finally found him, Kira! How did the fight go?" Hana asked, excitedly. Ashley took a closer look. "Kira? Where are your katanas? You never go anywhere without them." You looked down at the mention of your katanas. You felt a comforting hand on your shoulder, and looked back to see Zoro. You gave him a weak smile.

"Kira? What happened?" Hana asked, concerned about your sad look. "Some bastard thought it would be fun to catch me off guard, break my katanas, and try to rape me." you growled. Hana and Ashley saw Zoro clench his free fist so hard, his knuckles turned white. They glanced at each other and shared a quick smirk. "Well, at least you're safe. That's what matters." Hana said. "Yeah." you replied half-heartedly. "Hey, why don't you play with us, for old times' sake." Ashley said holding up your old flute case.

"You still kept it?" you gasped, grabbing it out of her hands and hugging it to your chest. "You play? Wont Luffy be happy." Zoro said. "Yeah. Why don't you go get some grog, Zoro. I'm going to play a couple songs." you said turning to him. "Sure." he said, walking to the bar. "Alright let's play!" Hana shouted, excitedly. After playing a few duets with Hana, accompanied by Ashley, of course, you decided to try something you haven't done in a while.

"Hey, Ashley? Do you still have them?" you asked, hopefully. "We're already set up on stage." she answered, smirking. "Sweet!" you shouted, pumping your fist in the air. "But guys, it just won't be the same." Hana said, sadly, her eyes downcast. "Way to spoil all the fun, Hana." you muttered, your spirits diminished. "But she's right. It just won't be the same." Ashley repeated, sadly. "Great, I feel so good, now." you said, sarcastically. "I really need some grog." you mumbled. "Ha. I remember you used to always try to influence her like that. I see you still haven't stopped drinking." Ashley said, a sad smile on her face. "I see you still don't." you shot back.

"I think I'm going to have a quick drink with Zoro before we perform." you said, turning towards his direction. "Okay, have fun with your boyfriend." Ashley said, smirking. "What-what are y-you-Shut Up!" you screamed as you saw her grin widen at your stuttering. "Oh, come on! You look cute together. And he obviously likes you. He got so upset when you mentioned the meanie that broke your katanas." Hana said.

"Shut up!" you stormed off, away from your giggling friends. "Stupid Hana. Stupid Ashley." you cursed them under your breath. "You okay?" you were thrown by your thoughts as Zoro asked the unexpected question. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine." you said. "I'll take a grog." you said to the awaiting bartender. He nodded and went to get your drink.

"So, how was playing with them again." Zoro asked. "Amazing! I missed it so much!" you said, happily taking a swig of your alcohol, savoring the sweet burning feeling as it slid down your throat. "So, you're going to stay with them, huh?" Zoro asked, sounding a little depressed. You almost choked on your drink. "W-what do you mean?" you asked, surprised at his question. He took a big gulp of his grog. "You're going to stay with them." he repeated, hunching over the bar counter.

"What? I-umm-well, I am going to finish our battle. And then, umm…" you trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Kira! Kira! Kira! Kira!" you heard a hyper voice say. "Oh, crap!" you said, spinning in around in your seat. You were tackled in a hug by a short, raven-haired girl. Her long onyx hair was pulled back in a low pony-tail, and she had dark brown eyes.

She looked younger than you and the other girls (Zoro guessed about Luffy's age of seventeen.) She was wearing a thick-strapped orange tank-top, and a pair of khaki trousers. Over her shirt was a khaki vest that had random pockets scattered over it. And when Zoro looked down, he saw two gun cases strapped to the outside of each thigh, and a burnt orange anklet resting on her right ankle

"Tori!" you explained hugging her back. "Who's this? Is he your boyfriend?" Tori asked, looking at Zoro, being distracted easily. "Wha-N-no!" you stuttered out. "Then who is he?" she asked. "This is Zoro. My crewmate." you mumbled the last part, hoping you didn't make the wrong choice. Zoro looked at you questioningly, before his face broke out in a grin.

'Yes!' he cheered in his head. "Your what? Kira! You can't be a pirate!" Tori exclaimed. "Why not Tori?" you asked calmly. You had a feeling this would be her reaction. Tori glanced at Zoro. "You know why." she said, actually serious for once. Zoro had a really confused look on his face. 'Way to make it suspicious, Tori.' you thought, sarcastically. "Excuse me for a minute, Zoro. We have to visit the others." you said, before dragging Tori off towards Hana and Ashley. "O-Kay." Zoro said, confused. "Oh, well." he said before taking another swig of his grog.

**With You**

"Hana! Ashley!" Tori shouted, running to them. "Tori!" they shouted in unison, hugging the life out of the poor midget ( she's not really. She's just short for her age, and they make fun of her for it.). "Great, now that we're back together, we can start hunting bounty's again!" Hana shouted, excitedly, pumping her fist in the air. Tori nudged your side. "Well, about that. Umm…how do I say this…" you trailed off, scratching the back of your head, nervously. "What do you mean, Kira?" Ashley asked. "Umm…" you didn't know how to explain this to them.

"She became a pirate!" Tori said. "A what?" Hana and Ashley shouted at you, together. You flinched slightly at their tone. "They're not bad pirates! They're the ones that saved me!" you tried to reason with your pissed off friends. "That's not the point! What if they found out?" Ashley screamed at you, clearly upset. "They didn't! I've been really careful! Even if they did find out, which they won't, they wouldn't care! I was going to ask my captain if you could join to. My captain would jump at the chance to have musicians." you said trying to convince them, and hoping he would forgive you for the whole, you know, trying to kill him, thing.

"Y-your w-what?" Hana stuttered out. "Well if you say yes, then we'll be together again." you said, still trying to convince them. "We'll have to meet them." Ashley said, still skeptical. "Okay, that's great! I'll just grab Zoro and we'll go." you said, walking in his direction. "Wait, Zoro's on the crew? That explains a lot." Hana said, catching up to you. "What's that supposed to mean?" you asked, blushing. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." she said, grinning. "Oh, shut up." you said as you approached Zoro.

"Hey Zoro, they want to meet the rest of the crew. Do you mind if we leave a little early?" you asked with pleading eyes. "Sure." he said, standing up after downing the rest of his grog. He picked up a bag as he stood up and you sent a questioning gaze towards it. Zoro let out a chuckle. "You were so busy with your friends, you forgot." he said, pulling out two, shining, silver katanas. On both katanas was a light, ice blue design that looked like the wind blowing. "A crew member can't go without a weapon." he smirked. You gasped at the sight of them.

"Zoro…" you breathed out. "I saw that the other ones you had looked like this, so I thought you might like them. Oh, there is one difference though." he said. You tilted your head to the side and raised an eyebrow at this. Zoro chuckled once more at your cute face. Zoro flipped the swords over so you saw the bottom of the hilt. Your eyes widened at what you saw. On one, was the letter K and on the other was the letter Y in a beautiful, gold scripture. "Your initials." he said, simply, and a little nervously. You ran up to him and wrapped your arms around his neck.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." you said against his color bone. You lightly kissed his cheek, completely forgetting who was behind you. "Which is kind of sad." Tori whispered to Hana and Ashley. Ashley chuckled, and Hana sent Tori a disapproving look. Tori raised her hands in defense. "We should probably head back." he said blushing a light pink, after you released him from your hug. You smiled lightly, gazing at his back, as he walked out. You gently sheathed your new katanas into you your old scabbards that rested on your back in an X, like they normally do. To relief, and joy, they fit perfectly.

You were brought out of your daze by Ashley clearing her throat. You looked back to see her and Hana smirking. Tori was, well Tori was being Tori, sitting at the bar, happily sipping a coke, while swinging her legs back and forth, childishly. "What?" you asked your smirking friends. "Uh, huh. You so like him." Hana said following, Ashley out. You ran after them, while Tori skipped next to you.

When you got out, you noticed Zoro headed in the opposite direction of the ship. You remember Nami saying he has a terrible sense of direction. "Umm, Zoro? Ships this way." you said jabbing your thumb in the opposite direction he was heading in. His back went rigid and he blushed a light pink. "Oh." he said before turning around and walking the other way. You giggled. "D-did you just g-giggle?" Hana asked, eyes wide. "N-no." you said quickly, walking after Zoro. Hana and Ashley shrugged, before following after a still skipping Tori.

* * *

**I have a special treat for you guys! Two chapter in the same day! Think of it as a peace offering and something to make up for the neglect :D I plan on updating within the hour (or two)**


	4. Chapter 4

Here's the peach offering for the weeks of neglect. **12 flippin' pages!** If I'm feeling all hyped up to see what you guys think, I might update again! Please don't forget to review! And if you wouldn't mind, could you let me know what you think about Kira and Zoro's relationship? Is it moving too fast? Too slow? I know **sunshineandmoonlight** commented that she liked the fact that their relationship is being taken a bit slow and that they're getting to know weach other. But now I want to know what your opinion is.

Thanks and enjoy,

~Gail

* * *

"So…this is it?" Ashley said, her hands on her hips. Hana elbowed her in the ribs. "Ow!" Ashley said, giving her a 'WTF' look. 'Be nice' Hana mouthed to her. "Wow! It's so big!" Tori said, gazing up at it in awe. You rolled your eyes at their behavior. 'Man, I missed these guys.' you thought, smiling. "Zoro! Kira! There you guys are! What took you so long?" Nami asked as she saw you guys make your way up the side of the ship.

"I had a run in with a few friends." you said as Hana, Ashley, and Tori came up from behind. "Oh, hi there! I'm Nami the navigator of this ship." she said, excitedly. "My beautiful princess has returned!" Sanji said running up to you. He knelt down and took your hand in his. Before he could kiss it, though, you pulled away. The rejection did nothing to him, for his next victims were Hana and Ashley.

"Ah! What did I do to be surrounded by angels?" He shouted, with hearts in his eyes. He knelt down in front of them, and like you, he took each of their hands in his own. Hana and Ashley shared a glance before dealing a double kick to the head. You unconsciously flinched, as he was sent flying before landing harshly on the deck. Sanji just jumped right back up, full of life, but now sporting two bumps on his head. "Ah, beautiful and powerful." he swooned.

"Anyway…wait, where's Luffy? I need to ask him something." you said to Nami. "He's in the kitchen with Usopp and Chopper." she answered. "Okay, thanks. Come on you guys!" you called to your fellow musicians. They followed you across deck and into the kitchen. "Yo, Luffy! I've got a favor to ask of you." you said, stopping in front of where he was stuffing his face. "What is it?" he asked between mouthfuls of food. "Well, how do you feel about recruiting a few musicians?" you asked, gesturing towards your friends and yourself. Luffy swallowed the food in his mouth before getting a really serious look on his face.

He seemed to just sit there, thinking. After a few minutes he jumped up, pumping his first in the air. "Yes! Musicians!" he screamed. 'I have a feeling he and Tori will get along just fine. Although I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. ' you thought, smiling nervously. "Where are they?" he asked, excitedly.

"Right here." you said, moving aside so he can see them. "Hi! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates! And I'm going to be king of the Pirates! Wait does that mean you're going to join our crew, Kira?" Luffy shouted, full of pride, and then asked you. You nodded your head. "Yeah. And sorry for the whole, you know…" you trailed off, nervously.

"Hi! I'm Tori!" Tori shouted, shouted just as loud as Luffy did. "I'm Hana! And this is Ashley!" Hana kindly introduced herself and Ashley. Ashley just gave a curt nod as a greeting. "Welcome aboard the Going Marry!" Usopp said stepping up. "I'm the brave Captain Usopp!" he said striking a pose. "He's our sharpshooter. But he's also a compulsive liar." you whispered to your friends. They nodded.

"I'm Tony-Tony Chopper." Chopper said, shyly. "Aw! So cute!" Tori said running up and hugging him, causing him to blush. You smiled at your friends childish behavior. "Chopper, here, is the ship's doctor. He's the one that patched me up." you said. "Well then, thank you Chopper. I know Kira can be a handful sometimes." Ashley said, smiling at the little doctor, who was still in Tori's vice grip.

"Hey! I resent that!" you pouted. "Oh, trust me. We know." Zoro said as he walked in, smirking. "Hey!" you said pouting again. Zoro just laughed. 'God, she looks so cute like that. Wait, did I just think that?' Zoro thought, before shaking his head, trying to rid himself of his thoughts. "Anyway, are we ready to set sail?" Usopp asked. "Yep, we're all set." Nami said. Zoro raised the anchor, while Usopp and Sanji unfurled the sails. Soon we were off.

**Time Skip**

After a while, you and the girls finally got some time to yourselves. The whole day you were being introduced and getting to know the crew, or being shown around the ship. And after a very eventful dinner, you, Hana, Tori, and Ashley were just leaning against the ship's railing, staring at the calm, rolling waves. "Ashley, please." Tori begged, staring longingly at the ocean. "No. You know we want to as well, but we cant." Ashley said sadly. "It's so unfair." Hana sighed. You just slumped against the railing, staring at the crystal clear water. "Guys? Just a quick swim won't hurt, right?" Tori tried to convince us. "Tori, we can't risk it." you finally spoke up. Tori sighed, sadly.

"Ashley! Hana! Tori! Play us a song!" you heard Luffy call. "Coming!" you shouted back. You walked over to where the crew was sitting. You all set up your instruments. You and Hana pulled out your flutes, while Tori pulled out her violin, and Ashley, her keyboard. "Wait, Kira, you can play, top?' Nami asked. "Well, you tell me."

After playing some slow songs as well as some up-beat songs, the crew bust out cheering. Soon the crew went to bed, well, except you. You were back at your original spot, slumped against the railing. "So, you found your friends again, yet you're still upset. What's wrong?" You heard Zoro say as he walked up behind you. "Nothing's wrong." you said, not taking your eyes off the mesmerizing sea. "Then why are you just staring at the ocean, like that?" he asked, leaning against the railing, beside you.

"The sea is a magical place. She can be calm and forgiving one minute, and then the next, she could sweep you away, never to be seen again. Gentle, rolling waves can suddenly turn into tsunamis, and destroy villages. Peaceful currents can suddenly take ships out to open sea, leaving sailors to their deaths. And she doesn't care who she houses, everything her children. From innocent dolphins, to ferocious sea kings. She cares and provides for them all." Zoro was surprised that you called the sea 'she'. Like you knew it personally. You spoke with such fondness about it.

The moon cast a serene glow over the water, reflecting the waves into your chocolate eyes, and lighting up your slightly tanned skin, enhancing the appearance of the freckles that dusted your cheeks and nose, giving you a serene look. Even though you thought you're your friends were much prettier than you, Zoro couldn't think of anyone more beautiful at that moment.

Zoro's breath caught in his throat, as he gazed at you. Unaware of the swordsman's eyes, you continued. "But never underestimate her. She can turn on you in a second, you know. She's graceful, yet the same time powerful. But she never stops being beautiful. I never get tired of looking at her." you spoke your mind without realizing it. Almost like you were in a trance. "Kind of like you." Zoro muttered to himself. "Huh?" you asked. "Nothing." he said, a light blush appearing on his face. He did the same thing you did, speak his mind without realizing it.

You sat there in a comfortable silence for a while, before you broke it. "So, why are you up, anyway?" you asked, tearing your gaze away from the water to look at him. "Couldn't sleep." he shrugged. "Oh." you yawned. "Tired?" he chuckled. "No." you yawned again. He laughed. "Shut up." you said, punching his arm. "Ow. Dang, women." he muttered, rubbing the spot you hit.

"Serves you right." you smirked, than yawned, again. Zoro just laughed at you. "Okay, okay. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." you said turning around to leave. "Wait!" he exclaimed, grabbing your wrist and spinning you around. His touch was electrifying, sending chills down your spine. "Y-yes?" you stuttered. It was so hard to think strait with him touching you. Zoro blushed and looked away. "Never mind." he mumbled, dropping your hand. You frowned. You didn't want to admit it to yourself, stupid pride, and all, but you kind of liked him holding your hand. "Okay, night." you said, walking away. "Night." he mumbled.

**Next Morning**

Your eyes fluttered open to be met with Tori right in your face. "Ah!" you screamed as you fell out of your bed. "Jeez, Tori!" you screamed, your hand over your rapidly beating heart. "Morning!" she screamed before running outside. "Sometimes that chick is way too hyper." you mumbled as you slipped on your clothes. As you were putting your long hair in its signature high pony-tail, you hear your captain shout from outside.

"Ace!" You yawned as you walked out on deck, to join the rest of your crew. "What's going on, Captain?" you asked. "Kira! Hana! Ashley! Tori! This is my brother, Ace!" Luffy said, pointing to a man about your age. Black, shaggy hair. Freckles. An orange hat. And wearing only a pair of black trousers. No shirt. Definitely Luffy's brother.

"Yo. The names Kira." you said before becoming almost pleading. "Wait! Please tell me your not like your brother!" you practically begged. You suddenly felt a sharp pain in your side. "Ow!" you cried, glaring at Hana, who elbowed you in the ribs. Hana may be sweet and the most innocent out of your group, but don't ever piss her off. She hits really hard.

"Sorry about Kira. She doesn't think before she speaks. I'm Hana." Hana kindly introduced herself. Ace chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Hana." Ace said with a bow. When he came up, he took her hand, planting a kiss on it. Hana's face was left a very interesting shade of red. 'God, he's cute!' Hana thought.

"I'm Ashley." Ashley said with her 'protective-big-sister' glare in place. Ace squirmed uncomfortably under the glare. You rolled your eyes. 'Ashley will never change.' you thought as Tori ran up to Ace. "Hi! I'm Tori!" Tori said, just as hyper as ever. Ace chuckled again. "Nice to meet all of you." he said. "So, your Luffy's brother? You seem completely different. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing." Hana mumbled the last thing under her breath.

Ace chuckled at her. "Yeah. And I know Luffy can be a handful, so I'm apologizing for him in advance." Ace said with a sigh. Hana giggled. Your eyes widened. 'Hana giggled? Oh, sweet, sweet blackmail.' you thought, mentally grinning. "Umm, excuse us for a minute, will you?" you said, dragging Hana to your room. Ashley followed, while dragging Tori after you.

When you all were in the room, you slammed the door behind you guys. You spun Hana around, showing her your smirk. "What?" Hana asked, confused. "You giggled." you stated simply. "N-no I did-didn't!" Hana defended herself. "Yes, you did." the three of you chorused. "Oh, be quiet!" Hana said, like it was meant as a curse. "Hana and Ace sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Tori sang, running outside.

The rest of you followed. Hana blushing like mad. You laughing. And Ashley with a scowl on her face. "What happened?" Ace asked, noticing Hana's blushing face. "Nothing." she mumbled. "Okay! Now that Ace is here, full speed ahead to the next island!" Luffy shouted. "Yay!" Tori cheered.

"Umm…Captain? Do you know that ship?" you asked, pointing towards the horizon. Luffy used his hand as a visor, to keep the sun out of his eyes as he was searching. "Ah! Land ho!" Usopp cried. "Ah, Swordswoman-san? Is that the ship?" Robin asked, pointing to a figure flanking the left of the ship.

"Umm, Luffy? Doesn't that look like Shanks' ship?" Ace asked his younger brother. "Huh? Your right Ace!" Luffy said, surprised. Then it dawned on him. "Yeah! First Ace, now Shanks! You guys must be good luck!" Luffy said, hugging Tori. Tori was smiling, but you could see the ever-so-slight blush staining her cheeks. You smiled a little, looking at them.

'How cute.' you couldn't help but think. "Why are you so happy?" Zoro interrupted your thoughts. "Aren't they cute?" you asked, not taking your eyes off of Tori and Luffy. "I didn't know you liked stuff like that." Zoro scoffed. "I don't, but…Tori never really liked a guy before. It was always Hana and Ashley with the crushes. It's just nice to see her so happy. Plus we can finally make fun of her for it." you said the last part with a grin.

"What about you?" he asked. "Huh? What do you mean?" You asked, back. "You said it was always Hana and Ashley with the crushes. What about you?" he clarified. His question got you off guard. You looked up at him, sense he was slightly taller, with a slight blush on your face. "Well, no one ever really liked me, so…I guess I just never liked anyone back. And I guess you're right. I'm just not really into all that." you said, your gaze still on him. "Oh." was all he said before Luffy screamed "Shanks!"

You looked up at your captain like he was out of his mind, which he probably was, before you noticed a red-haired man, that looked about Ashley's age, maybe a couple years older. Luffy tackled the man in a hug. "It's good to see you again, Shanks." Ace said.

"Aye, you to, Ace." Shanks said, releasing Luffy from the hug. "Shanks! Meet my musicians!" Luffy said, dragging him over to you guys. "The names Kira." you said with a wave. "I'm Tori!" "Hello, I'm Hana!" "And I'm Ashley." you all introduced yourselves. Shanks took Ashley's hand and kissed it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, lass." he said, staring into her eyes. She stared back, slightly blushing.

'Not half bad. His eyes, that is.' Ashley thought, trying to convince herself she was only talking about his eyes. 'Man, what is with pirates, and making us blush.' you thought. You took a one-over glance at Shanks. Slightly long, shaggy, blood red hair. A traditional white pirate shirt, black pants tucked into black boots, and a sword strapped to his side. You noticed that one of his sleeves seemed looser that the other, and cocked an eyebrow at this. When a gust of wind blew by, fluttering his clothes, you noticed that the cloth just moved with the wind. He was missing an arm! Your eyes widened slightly before returning to normal. Well, he definitely screamed 'pirate'.

"Hey, Shanks! Are you coming with us to that island over there?" Luffy asked, pointing to said island. "Aye, we have to restock." Shanks said, waving towards his ship. "Cool!" Luffy said. In about two minutes, you were already at the docks. "Who's going to watch the ship?" Usopp asked. "Umm…We'll do it." Hana said, good-naturedly. "Really? Thanks guys." Nami said, walking off, probably to go shopping. "No problem!" Hana called after her. When she turned around, she saw us glaring at her. "What?" she asked, innocently. "You just had to be a goody-to-shoes." you mumbled.

**Time Skip**

"Ugh! I cant take it anymore!" you screamed, jumping over the ships railing. "Kira, wait!" Hana said, running after you. Tori and Ashley trailed behind. "Wait up, Kira!" Hana called after your speeding figure. You kept running until you got to the town square, where you abruptly stopped, causing Hana to crash into you. "What are you doing, Kira?" she asked, picking herself up off the ground.

You were still frozen where you stood. There in front of you was something you really didn't need to see. Four girls, dressed pretty revealingly, were hanging all over Zoro, Luffy, Ace, and Shanks. The worst part was, it didn't look like they minded at all! Zoro had his hands on one girls waist, while Shanks had his on ones shoulders. Luffy just stood there, looking slightly confused, but didn't make a move to get her off, and Ace was looking down at the girl that had her arms wrapped around his. Hana peeked around you and froze as well.

Finally, Tori and Ashley caught up. You got a dark look in your eyes as your jealousy took over. You slowly reached behind you and started to unsheathe one of your katanas. Before you could, however, Hana reached up and slapped your hand away. "Violence isn't the answer to everything, Kira." she said, but you could hear the strain in her voice. When the girl that was all over Ace, whispered something in his ear, something in Hana snapped.

In the blink of an eye, she had her bow and arrow aimed at the girls head. With acute precision, she fired. She would have made it to, if Ashley didn't smack her hand. The arrow whizzed through the air, lodging itself in a tree. "Oh, shoot!" Hana cried. She put her bow away quickly, upon seeing the disapproving look Ashley gave her.

After one last glance at Zoro, you ran as fast as you could towards the beach, and what you longed for, the ocean. Hana, Ashley, and Tori followed after you. As you were running, you felt a few tears betray you and cascade down your crestfallen face. You angrily wiped at them, but they just kept falling. 'Why do I even care if Zoro likes a slut like her! It's not worth crying over!' you screamed in your head. But that's the thing, you did care, and you were crying over it. Little did you know, if you would have looked a little closer, you would have seen the guys' annoyed, and in the case of Luffy, confused looks, as they tried to pry the girls off of them.

You stormed your way over to the shore, and were about to jump into the inviting water, when Ashley grabbed your arm, pulling your back. You looked back at her, then at Hana and Tori. Ashley shook her head solemnly, and that's when you noticed the tears in your friends eyes, as well. 'There just as upset as me.' you thought, sadly.

You needed to be in the water. To feel it whip around you skin and through your hair. To feel the freedom of gliding gracefully through the blue sea. You couldn't take it anymore. Your ripped yourself from Ashley's grasp and plunged yourself into the crystal clear water. "Kira, don't!" Hana cried. "Bonsai!" Tori shouted, cannon-balling. "Oh, fine!" Hana said, doing a graceful dive. "Do they ever listen?" Ashley sighed, diving in as well.

After about ten minutes, you all finally surfaced. "Ah, that feels so good!" you sighed, smiling. "Kira! Hana! Ashley! Tori!" Luffy called, running to you. "Oh, crap!" you cursed, hiding behind Ashley. "You're the one that wanted to go for a swim!" Ashley snapped at you. "You did too! And I thought they would be too 'busy' to come after us! I didn't even know they saw us!" you said, bitterly. "Just calm down! All we have to do is make sure they don't see us!" Hana reasoned. "Easier said than done!" Tori said, looking at Luffy, who stopped at the shore.

"Why'd you guys leave the ship?" Zoro asked from next to Luffy. "Humph! Like you care!" you said turning your back to him. It pained you so much to say that, but you angry and hurt. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused at your behavior. "Why don't you just go back to those sluts?" you screamed, turning back to him. As you whipped around, your tears glistened in the sun.

When he saw them his eyes softened slightly. "We finally got rid of those annoying girls. Now why are you crying?" he said coming closer to you, so the water now came up to his shins. 'What? I'm an idiot aren't I? I should have known he wouldn't like someone like that.' you thought, wiping some of the tears away. You noticed the same thing happening for Hana, Tori, and Ashley with Ace, Luffy, and Shanks.

You quickly tried to wipe the rest of those pesky tears away. "Why don't you guys come out of the water?" Luffy asked. You looked at Ashley, hoping she would think of something convincing to say. "We cant!" Tori blurted out, quickly. "Of course you can!" Luffy said, laughing. He stretched his rubbery arms out, and lifted Tori out of the water and onto the beach. You heard Nami, Usopp, and Chopper gasp.

"Great, just great!" you muttered, pulling yourself onto the beach. Hana and Ashley did the same. "You-Where's your legs!" Luffy screamed, seeing Tori's burnt orange tail, as well as Hana's gold, Ashley's violet, and your own ice blue tail. "Are you really that stupid!" Nami said, hitting him over the head. "They're mermaids, captain-san." Robin explained. "Cool!" he shouted.

"Wow, just wow." you muttered. You glanced at Zoro to see his reaction. 'Whoa.' he thought, staring at you blankly. You sighed and pulled yourself back into the water. "Where are you going, Kira?" Hana asked from beside Ace. The others were trying to dry off, and Ace being a fire type devil fruit user, was helping her. "For a swim. Go ahead and set sail. I'll catch up." you said diving under the cool water.

"Oh, not again." Hana sighed. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked, snapping out of his trance. "It's Kira. Whenever she's upset, she goes for a swim. It wouldn't be much of a problem, if she didn't bring back trouble with her." Ashley answered. "What kind of trouble?" Shanks asked. "Anything she can find. Sea monsters, pirates, war lords, marines, the list goes on and on." Tori said.

"Why would she do that?" Nami asked, worriedly. "When she's upset she likes to fight. And, well, that's it. She likes to fight." Hana sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah, one time, I think it was about a week and a half ago, actually, she swam home with a really bad gash. Turns out she went and fought 'Hawk-eye' Mihawk. Sad part was, she didn't let us bandage it. Left a nasty scar. We got split up in a storm a couple days later." Ashley said, looking down.

"That's how she got it? Man this girl literally looks for trouble." Usopp said, shaking in fear of what you might bring back. "Wait, why wouldn't she let you bandage it?" Robin asked. She wasn't there when you explained it to the rest of the crew, but some of them were still wondering why, as well. The only one that didn't was Zoro. He already knew.

"She said, that because she was beaten by the worlds greatest swordsman, she wants to keep it to 'motivate' her to get stronger. I think she's upset she lost, and wants to keep it to remind her of that loss. I think she thinks it's shameful." Hana sighed. 'Partly right. She was probably hoping she would bleed out and die. What's a wound to her body, when she can spare a wound to her pride?' Zoro thought, sadly. But, he just doesn't know how right he was.

Suddenly, the remaining mermaids heads snapped up and towards the sea. A wave rolled over the surface, towards them, at a break-neck pace. You was suddenly swimming in front of them, the wave gone. You had a very worried expression on your face. "What did you do his time, Kira?" Ashley sighed, preparing to clean up any mess you caused. You shook your head rapidly.

"It's Gail." you said, really worriedly. Hana gasped. Tori looked down. Ashley shook her head solemnly. "She's alive-" at this their heads snapped up and in your direction. "But the marines got her." you added sadly. "How do you know this?" Ashley said warningly. "Well-I-you see-Oh, what does it matter? We have to go get her!" you stuttered, trying to change the subject. "Kira…" Ashley said in an 'If you don't tell me now, there will be hell to pay.' tone. "Well, I might have went to the nearest marine base and heard." you mumbled. "Kira!" Hana and Ashley shouted.

It turns out Tori fell asleep, her head in Luffy's lap, tuckered out from all the past events. "What? I only beat up, like, thirty! It was quick work! They didn't follow me. And even if they did, you know they wouldn't be able to keep up." you said, defensively. "Kira…" Ashley sighed, smacking her forehead. "Look, you guys already dry and have your legs back. You go back to the ship, I'll meet you there." You said. Luffy picked up a still sleeping Tori, and then they all left, except Zoro.

"You might want to hurry up and follow them. You don't want to get lost." You muttered. You were about to swim away, when he grabbed your arm. "Why were you upset." He asked, spinning you around so you were nose to nose. Your breath caught in your throat as you breathed in his intoxicating sent. "I wasn't upset." you mumbled, avoiding his piercing eyes. "Then why'd you swim off? Ashley said you only do that when your upset." he said, turning your head to look at him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" you asked, softly, tears building up in your eyes. It came out almost like a whimper. "What?" Zoro was shocked and confused. "You act like you care about me, and then when you find out our secret, you get a blank look. Like your contemplating on whether you want to take it back, or not. I'm confused. I know that we look different in our mermaid form, and I know I'm not the prettiest girl, but…" you tried so hard not to let any tears fall, but a couple escaped.

Zoro gently wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. "Don't you ever think, for even a second, I stopped caring about you. And don't you ever say that again. You're…You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." he said, his hands still resting on your tear-stricken face. He was a little shocked that he said something as sentimental as that, but when he thought about it, he realized he spoke the truth.

You buried your face in his chest and giggled softly. "You sound like Sanji." you said, against him. He chuckled, too. "Yeah, that does sound like something the ero-baka would say." Zoro said wrapping his arms around your waist. "Thank you, Zoro. For everything." you said, burying your face in his neck. "No problem. I'll always be here for you." Zoro said, burying his face in your hair, taking in the sweet, sea-like aroma of it. Zoro lifted your chin up, and, to his own, as well as your surprise, lightly brushed his lips against yours. The action sent shockwaves through your whole body. "See you at the ship." he said before walking away. You shakily brought a hand to your lips. You smiled and swam off.

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**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to hit the review button and tell us your opinion. You DON't have to but we'd both really appreciate it if you did :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, I know I promised updates every week but my computer wanted to be a wanker adnplay stupid. I oculdn't even get Word open to set up the chapter let alone open the Internet. So, I've spent the last week and a half copying all of my stories, important doc., ect. to my flash drive so my computer woulnd't delete them the next time it crashed (thank God it didn't). So now that its finally behaving, I'm updating! Two chapters today, one for the one i missed last week and on for this week.

Happy belated Fourth!

~Gail & Kira

* * *

"Hey, a little help, please?" you asked. "Kira! Your back!" Luffy shouted, as he lifted you onto the ship. You shut your eyes tight and held your breath, waiting to be on deck. You took a shaky breath and opened your eyes, only to be met with the sight of your crew and the worried looks of your fellow mermaids.

"Kira? Are you alright?" Hana asked, worriedly. "F-f-fine." you stuttered. "Wow! You took that better than you normally do!" Tori exclaimed, happily. Suddenly you fainted. "Whoops! Spoke too soon!" Tori laughed. Zoro sighed and placed one hand under your back, and the other under your tail, picking you up and carrying you to the ships infirmary, Chopper in tow. 'What am I going to do with you?' Zoro asked himself, looking down at your face.

**Time Skip**

You bolted awake. "Hey, you okay?" Zoro asked. "Yeah. What happened?" you asked, rubbing your head. "Uh…you kind of fainted." he said. You smacked your forehead. "Great." you said sarcastically. "Hey, do you want to do something?" Zoro asked, suddenly, blushing as he thought of how that sounded. He really wasn't used to all this. "What do you have in mind?" Zoro only smirked and walked outside.

You quickly followed after him. Zoro walked out on deck and turned to face you. You looked at him questioningly. His smirked widened as he took out his two black katanas, leaving his precious Wado Ichimonji in its scabbard. At least it was something he was comfortable with. If you weren't a swordswomen, or even fighter, for that matter, Zoro would be completely lost.

You finally figured it out and unsheathed one of your own shinning katanas. "Only one? You underestimate me." Zoro said, smirking the whole time. "I could say the same thing to you. You're only using two katanas, so why should I use my full force if you're not using yours?" you smirked back at him.

"You just might regret that." he said before charging at you. The sound of metal clashing reverberated through the air. Your faces came so close together, over your clashed swords, that you could feel each other's breath. "Might." you whispered, your warm breath spreading over his cheeks, giving him goose bumps. You pushed your sword against his and jumped back, putting distance between you two. Zoro felt a little dazed after that, that he almost jumped when he heard your voice.

"Don't let your guard down!" you said, running at him. He barely had time to bring up his swords to block. You smirked, twisting your body so you ended up behind him, and quickly slashed down. Zoro dropped to the deck and rolled out of the way, ending up on his feet again. He was silently complementing you and how you fought with such grace and power. Kind of like…the ocean. He smirked, remembering your conversation, the other night. He quickly charged back at you, but you dogged by sliding under his legs. When you got back to your feet, you tackled him to the ground, straddling his hips.

He leaned up on his elbows, to be met with the blunt side of your sword at his neck. You smirked as he gulped. "I win." you whispered, leaning down so your faces were only an inch away. You pulled your katana away from his throat and placed it to the side, gently. Zoro gulped once more, and set his own swords down, resting his shaky hands on your hips.

"You know, I would have thought the famous 'Pirate hunter Zoro' would put up a better fight.' you smirked, as you saw his breath hitch. "Well, how do you expect me to do that when you're so god damn distracting?" He whispered in a husky, lust-filled voice, sending shivers over your body.

You decided to mess with him a little more. It was just so damn fun. "And just how am I distracting?" you asked, feigning innocence. You leaned your elbows down either side of his face, and tangled your hands into his hair, your chest barely brushing his. He suppressed a moan, as you shifted your hips, slightly, and sent you a weak glare with dark, lust-filled eyes. You smirked, but it quickly went away and was replaced by you biting your lip, trying to suppress a moan.

He took his hands off your waist, trailing it up and down your sides, and back. "Just like that." he answered, a slight smirk on his face. You leaned down, a little closer, causing your pony-tail to fall to the side, your long hair brushing against his cheek. You just decided you liked sparing a whole lot more now. You consumed Zoro's whole vision, blocking out anything, and everything around him. It was like it was just you and him. Not that he was complaining.

"Kira!" You heard Hana's voice shout for you, bringing you out of your moment with the green-haired swordsman. "What?" you asked, slightly annoyed, and trying to keep your voice leveled and calm, but it cracked slightly, causing Zoro to smirk. You sent a half-hearted glare to him, when you saw his smug face.

"We know how to find out were Gail is!" Ashley said as everyone ran on deck. You froze. Gail was one of your first friends and also one of your closest. You sent Zoro an apologizing look as you quickly scrambled to your feet. You quickly sheathed your katana and spun on your heels, running to them.

"Where?" you asked, frantically. Your 'spar' was now completely forgotten. "At a marine ball. Looks like those dresses she made us could finally be put to good use." Ashley said and you groaned. "What?" Nami asked, confused at your reaction to getting to wear a fancy dress, something she would be more than willing to do. "You've never seen them." you sulked.

**Time Skip/Kira's Moment.**

"Kira, you look fine! Come on out!" Hana tried to coax you into coming out of your room. "No! Remind me to kill Gail once we save her ass!" you cried. "That's it!" Ashley muttered under her breath, storming into your room. She grabbed you by the arm and dragged you out on deck. "Ashley!" you cried as you struggled to get out of her grasp.

"What's going on here?" Zoro's voice rang in your ears. "Oh, Zoro! Here, tell Kira she doesn't look bad!" Hana said, pulling you out in front of them. She then went off to help Ashley get ready, leaving you and Zoro all alone. You looked down and shuffled your feet.

"Well?" you asked, nervously, wanting to hear his opinion. You were wearing an ice blue, sleeveless dress that went down to your mid-thigh. Around the waist, you wore a thick, silver belt, which held up two ice blue folds on your dress. Your hair was in a high pony-tail, like normal, but it was curled, a couple loose, curly, strands framing your face. You had on circular drop earrings and a matching necklace. Strappy, silver heels (which might I add were a pain to get used to walking in.) replaced your usual black combat boots, showing off your toe nails that were painted a shiny silver, matching your freshly painted finger nails. Your make up consisted of a slight blush, silver eye shadow, and your full lips were stained with a shimmery pink gloss.

To say Zoro was surprised was a major understatement. He was stunned speechless! You took his silence the wrong way, however, and looked away, biting your shimmery, plump lip. Oh, if only you knew that action drove him crazy, sending heat spreading through his body like wild fire. He had to refrain himself from running up to you and kissing you senseless. "See, it's stupid, right? I'm going to go change. They can handle this without me." you mumbled, turning away, to go lock yourself in your room.

You turned on your heels and were about to sprint away, but Zoro caught your arm and pulled you close to him, your back flush against his chiseled chest. You blushed lightly, feeling his toned muscles. "You look beautiful." Zoro whispered in your ear. His breathing was slightly labored, as he tried to get a grip on himself. 'Damn. First the 'spar', now this! I swear she's doing this on purpose!' he thought breathing slowly, trying to calm down.

His warm breath spread across your exposed neck, sending shivers down your spine. He spun you around, grabbing you around your waist. Your blush became darker as your breath hitched and your faces came closer together. You placed your hands lightly on his chest and your eyes became half-lidded as your lips were about to connect. Almost there. Your heart beat picked up. So close. Your hands fisted around his shirt. One more inch. You held your breath. Finally…

"Kira!" Hana's voice brought you out of your moment with the green-haired swordsman…again. You groaned. "Yes?" you asked in a fake, sugar-sweet, tone, which clearly showed your annoyance. But, alas, Hana was too naive to notice and she dragged you to her room. You gave Zoro one last apologetic look before disappearing behind the corner.

Zoro stood there, his breathing still slightly labored. He mentally cursed Hana for interrupting, then you for driving him crazy with such a simple act! 'Damn! She bit her lip and I got excited! What's wrong with me!' Zoro ran hand down his face before bringing it back up to run threw his hair. 'Then again, she did look irresistibly cute like that. That unsure look in her chocolate eyes. That nervous blush that consumed her face, making her freckles stand out. And when she bit her lip…' Zoro groaned as that image flooded back into his mind's eye, bringing back that familiar heat. His hand bunched up into a fist, slightly pulling on his hair. He needed a shower. A nice, long, _cold_, shower.

**Ashley's Moment**

"I can't believe you did that! And we were about to kiss, too!" you whined at Hana. "Wait, wait, wait! Back up! You were about to what?" she said, turning to you. "Uh, nothing." you tried to cover up your slip, but failed miserably. "Oh, Kira!" Hana squealed. You quickly covered your ears. "Forget I said anything." you mumbled. You and Hana saw Ashley leaning against the railing, already dressed and ready.

She was wearing a form-fitting, violet dress that reached her mid-calf and hugged all the right curves. She also wore a plum-colored, beaded necklace and matching earrings. Closed toe and heel, plum colored platform shoes adorned her feet. Lavender eye-shadow and pink, glossy lip gloss served as her makeup. Finally her wavy, light brown hair was up in a side pony-tail, a purple flower suck in it.

"Wow, Ashley! You look great!" Hana exclaimed, walking over to her. "Yeah, not bad." you said, examining her attire. "Thanks, Kira. You don't look bad, either. Oh, and I'm sure Zoro liked it too." Ashley smirked, seeing the blush on your face. "Oh, yeah. Well, I would just love to see Shanks' reaction, to you." It was her turn to blush as this.

'Speak of the devil.' you thought with a smirk, seeing Shanks walk on deck. "Hey, Hana! Can you, umm…help me with…my flute? Yeah! My flute!" you quickly made an excuse to get Ashley and Shanks alone. "What?" Hana asked, clueless. You sighed and dragged her away.

"Wait! Don't leave me alone with-!" Ashley cut herself off as Shanks walked up to her. "You look beautiful, lass." Shanks said, gently taking her hand and placing a lingering kiss on it. "T-thanks." Ashley stuttered with a blush creeping onto her face. "So, umm… when do you and your ship plan on going your separate way." she asked, looking at the giant caravel sailing next to the Going Marry, trying to get his attention off of her.

"Well, we were planning on leaving in about a week. Probably after you and your friends rescue your other friend." he answered, studying her face to gage her reaction. "Oh." Ashley looked a little down cast at this, and Shanks smiled softly. He gently lifted her chin, so she looked at him.

"You know, I was wondering if you would like to, maybe, come with me? If you would sail by my side?" he asked, causing Ashley's head to snap up. "Oh, Shanks." she breathed out. "I-I don't know what to say. Can I think about it?" she asked, looking down. "Of course, lass." he said, lifting her chin up to look into her eyes. He gently captured her lips in a tender kiss. She smiled lightly against his lips before deepening it, and wrapping her arms around his neck, gently playing with his fire-red locks, while his one arm wrapped around her waist.

He reluctantly pulled away, when the need for air over powered their lust. "I hope you will consider it." Shanks said, gently leaving a tender kiss on her forehead before walking away. "I will." Ashley whispered, even though he couldn't hear her. Ashley was so confused. She wanted to go with Shanks, she really did. But, she couldn't leave her friends that have been like sisters to her since she was twelve, could she?

She could always ask them to come along, but you guys would want to stay with the crew. She couldn't ask you to leave. And what about Gail? Her mind was spinning, and she was thinking way too much. 'Stupid Shanks! Why did you have to make me fall for you?' Ashley screamed in her head, as she walked away from the railing to go if Tori and Hana were ready.

**Hana's Moment**

"Why did you really drag me away?" Hana asked, as clueless as ever. You sighed. "To give Ashley and Shanks some privacy." You explained to your clueless friend. "Oh, well, I hope it works out for her. I'm going to go get ready." Hana said and walked into the bathroom to go change. 'Let's have some fun.' you thought with a smirk.

You silently left the room and searched for the one person on the ship that could make Hana blush. Lucky for you, he just happened to be passing by. "Ace!" you called. "Huh? Oh, hi." Ace said. "Can you do me a favor?" you asked. "Uh, I guess?" he answered. "Great! Just wait in here." you said, trying to suppress the grin that threatened to consume your whole face.

You led him into Hana's room and sat him on her bed. "O-Kay?" he said, skeptically. 'It's payback time.' you thought leaving the room. In about ten minutes Ace heard Hana's voice. "Hey, Kira! Can you help me with my dress?" Hana said walking out of the bathroom, clutching the top half of her dress to her chest. Apparently she couldn't reach the back zipper.

She then noticed that instead of Kira, Ace was in her place. Hana froze and her face flashed a bright crimson. "Umm…Hi." Ace said with a faint blush on his cheeks as well. Hana took a deep breath to calm her nerves and smiled nervously. "Hi, Ace. Umm, would you mind helping me out a little?" she asked shyly. "Sure." he said, his blush darkening slightly.

Hana turned around, exposing her milky-white skin. Ace gently brushed her blond hair over her shoulder and let his hand linger there a little longer than necessary. He slowly zipped up her gold dress, letting his fingers caress her smooth skin, ever so gently, as he worked his way up. Hana unconsciously shivered at his delicate touch.

She turned around and Ace finally got a good look at her. Hana was wearing a floor-length, one strap golden dress. It had a golden sash in the middle of her waist, and the fabric above it was a lighter gold, while the fabric below it was a darker one. Her sunny, golden-blond hair was loose down he back, held back by a diamond pin.

Her dress had a long slit down the side that stopped an inch above her knee. It was the only place where you could see her gold, peep-toe heels. Gold chandelier earrings and a gold clutch served as her accessories, while pale gold eye shadow and shimmery lip gloss accented her beautiful facial features. She looked like a goddess to Ace.

"Wow." was all Ace could say. Hana smiled shyly. He gently caressed her face and Hana leaned into the embrace. Ace moved closer to her and gently pressed his lips to her shimmery ones. When they finally pulled away, Hana was lightly panting with a smile on her face. "It's a miracle." Ace mumbled, barely audible. Because of their close proximity, however, Hana was able to just make out what he was saying.

"What is?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, cutely. "I haven't had a narcoleptic fit yet." he said. "You have narcolepsy?" she asked, shocked. "Ye-" he was cut off by one of those said fits taking over his body. Ace fell back on the bed, snoring lightly. Hana giggled. "Well, that answers that question." 'He's so cute!' she thought. Hana moved him so he was fully on the bed. She lightly kissed his forehead, before leaving, closing the door after her. She walked away, smiling lightly to herself.

**Tori's Moment  
**

"Hey, Tori!" Luffy shouted, running up to her. "Hi, Luffy." Tori said, but instead of her usual hyperness, it was more shy. Luffy got a good look at Tori, and blushed slightly. 'Whoa.' he thought. 'I've ever seen anything more beautiful before.' Luffy thought, actually completely serious, for once. He just noticed how beautiful Tori was. Sure she acted a little childish, like him, and wore slightly baggy clothes, but the fact was, she was a seventeen year old, just like him. A very beautiful seventeen year old.

She was wearing a burnt orange, sleeveless dress that went down to right below her knees. It had a yellow sash right under her bust, that matched her necklace. It was a simple silver chain that had a blown-glass flower in the middle that was the same shade of yellow as the sash.

Her long, onyx hair was pin-strait and loose down her back. A single, yellow flower was tucked behind her left ear. Sandal wedges and orange-yellow eye shadow completed the look. And even though her lips were bare, they couldn't look redder to Luffy.

He could have sworn time slowed down for a minute and sparkles were surrounding her figure. "Wow! You look beautiful!" Luffy said, breathless, but a grin was still evident on his face. "Thanks, Luffy." Tori said, smiling shyly. Luffy, being the clueless boy he is, and never seeing the raven haired beauty in front of him anything but hyper and happy, took her lack of hyperness as something being wrong. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you sick? Does Chopper need to take a look at you?" Luffy asked, worriedly placing a gentle hand to her forehead. This caused Tori to blush a light pink.

"I'm fine, Luffy." Tori insisted, grabbing his hand and taking it off her head. She didn't let go, however. "You sure?" Luffy asked, still worried. "Yes." Luffy looked at her questioningly before smiling. "Okay! But go to Chopper if you don't feel good, okay?" he asked. He just felt this urge to be protective of Tori and he didn't know why.

But, his instincts never failed him before, so he went with it. "Okay." she agreed, softly. "Good!" Luffy pulled her a little closer by the hand she was still holding, and lightly kissed her cheek, causing Tori to blush brighter. Tori looked at his retreating figure, smiling lightly. She gently touched her cheek, where he kissed, before slowly walking away, still smiling.

Luffy walked on thinking about Tori, her presence occupying every part of his mind. Then his mind replayed the kiss in his head, and he was suddenly a little self-conscious. Should he have done that? His instincts were telling him 'yes', but his mind wasn't so sure. Deciding to trust his instincts on this one, Luffy perched himself on the Going Marry's figure head, or as he dubbed it, his 'special seat.' He let his mind wander to anything and everything, but somehow they always found their way to a certain raven haired girl.


	6. Chapter 6

And the chapter for this week!

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"Alright. You guys ready?" you asked your friends. You were all in Hana's room doing some last minute touch ups. When you didn't get a response, you looked back to see them with a dreamy look on their faces, though Ashley's was a little more thoughtful. "Great. Am I the only one that didn't get kissed?" you asked, a little upset.

You sent a half-hearted glare at Hana. Realizing you weren't going to get an answer out of your dazed friends, you decided to do something you normally would never do. You giggled. You giggled like a little school girl. Their heads snapped up and in your direction. "Well, now that I have your attention, are you ready to go? We should be docking soon." you said.

"Okay, let's go." Hana said, running on deck. You all calmly followed her to see you were right, you were already docked. You looked around to see the whole crew was out on deck, waiting to see you off. Nami and Robin had approving looks on their faces. You saw Usopp's and Chopper's jaws dropped slightly, and Sanji was practically giddy, going on about being able to die happy now. Luffy stared at Tori a slightly concerned look on his face, but there was an underlying look of adoration and awe. Shanks gazed at Ashley with loving eyes. Ace, well you couldn't see Ace anywhere on deck. You'll have to ask Hana about that latter. And Zoro. You almost giggled at the sight, the little school girl in you, (no matter how small she may be) trying to come out. Zoro had a towel around his bare shoulders, his hair wet and sticking to his face and neck. You stared as water dripped from his hair and onto his exposed chest. You bet your lip once again as you could have sworn it evaporated as soon as the cold water hit his hot body.

Wait? Cold? You could feel yourself trying to refrain at grinning like Cheshire cat. It was good to know you weren't the only one affected by the little encounter you had earlier. "Okay, we'll stay here. Call us if anything goes wrong." Nami said, handing each of you communicators that discretely fit in your ears. "Okay, thanks Nami." Ashley said putting it in. "Okay, all set." Tori said, seriously. Luffy glanced at her worriedly. "Let's go." you said, hopping over the railing, landing gracefully. No matter how hard it was with heels on. "Right behind you." Hana said as they all followed you.

"_Testing, testing. Can you hear me?"_ Nami's voice said sounding over the communicator. "Loud and clear." you said. You all had serious looks on your faces. You were always like this when hunting bounties, and this was no different. It was a mission. And one you cannot risk failing.

"_Okay, once you get in, towards the back hallway, there's an information center. Please tell me one of you can hack." _Nami pleaded. "Got it covered." Tori answered. _"Tori? You can hack?" _This time it was Luffy's voice. "Tori's one of the best. There's nothing she can't hack." you said, erasing any doubt. Tori smiled shyly, embarrassed at what you said. _"I don't doubt that." _said Luffy. Tori smiled a little brighter, and a light blush dusted her checks. You smiled lightly at her reaction to Luffy.

"Okay guys, we're here." Ashley said loud enough for the crew to hear too. _"Be careful, lass."_ Shanks said. "I will." Ashley smiled. "Hey, you there! Can I see your invitations?" A single guard at the front gate said. 'Only one? Their mistake.' you thought, mentally smirking. _"Oh, crap! I forgot to forge them!" _Nami cursed. You stepped forward, while they stepped back. "Kira's got it covered, Nami." Hana whispered. _"Huh? What do you mean?"_ Nami asked, confused on how you could get past this one.

You pouted as cutely as you could, and made fake tears build up in your eyes. "I'm so sorry. It was my job to bring them, and I did! But someone stole my purse on the way here, and, and-!" you burst into fake tears. _"Water works?" _Nami asked, slightly impressed. "Her specialty." Ashley said, smirking slightly.

"I'm so sorry, guys. Let's go home." you chocked out through fake sobs. You turned to face them. You smirked, so only they could see. 'Three. Two. One.' you mouthed to them. As soon as you mouthed 'one', the guard called out to you. "Wait! I guess I can make an exception. Just don't cry anymore. I don't want to see a pretty face like that get messed up." the guard said, trying a pathetic attempt to flirting/comforting you. "Oh, thank you!" you slightly giggled, running up to him. You wrapped your arms around his neck.

Suddenly he collapsed with a dull 'thud'. Hana sighed. "He was already letting us in. Did you have to knock him out?" she asked. "Yes! He was about to grab my ass! I could feel it!" you shouted. _"He what?" _you heard Zoro seethe, and it kind of made you feel good that he cared enough to get mad. "Let's just go." Ashley sighed. You walked through the door and looked around. "Man, they don't mess around." Tori said in awe. It was so grand.

You felt someone tap your shoulder, and you turned around. Turns out it was just someone asking you to dance. "Uh…no thank you." you said as politely as you could, though it was a little strained. As he walked away you could hear your friends trying to suppress their laughter. Trying and failing miserably.

"Oh, come on, Kira! He just wanted to dance." Hana said through giggles. You glared harshly at her. _"What's wrong with her and dancing? Is she bad at it?"_ Nami's voice rang in your ear. "Actually, quite the opposite. You see, during one of our missions we posed as dancers. We were all good, but Kira swore to never dance again. She hated it." Ashley said giggling.

"_Wait, never? Oh come on Kira you can't say never!"_ Nami tried to 'reason' with you. "Why not?" you snorted. _"Well, because! I mean what are you going to do at you're, I don't know, wedding! Yeah, what are you going to do then, huh? Spar with your husband?" _Nami sounded a little shocked that you never wanted to dance again. I mean, she loved dancing. "Wait, can I do that?" You actually asked, a little hopeful.

"That would be awesome." you grinned as you heard Nami curse under her breath and a deep chuckle in the background, that you recognized as Zoro. Your grinned faltered. "What does it matter, Nami? Besides, who would ever ask me to marry them? Come on, I'm not exactly your typical girl. I've had one boyfriend in my life, and that went horribly wrong. I'm perfectly fine by myself. I don't need a man to make me happy." You said trying to sound prideful.

But, only your fellow mermaids could hear the sadness in your voice. Sure you didn't need a man, but that didn't mean you didn't want one. Quickly changing the subject, before Nami, or anyone else had a chance to comment, you said "I think we're here." A little ways down the hallway was a door guarded by three guards. "Oh, crap! Three guards! I can knock out one, no problem. But three? They'll call for back up before I get to all of them." you said to Nami.

"_Who said anything about knocking them out? You're girls. Use your bodies."_ You could almost hear the smirk in her voice. "Great." you said sarcastically. "Alright. I'll take the one on the left, Hana the right, Kira, middle. Tori, when they're distracted, go for it." Ashley commanded, taking charge. You all nodded in agreement. _"Okay, good luck." _Nami said.

You, Hana, and Ashley strutted over to the guards, giggling all the while. "What can we do for you ladies?" one of the guards asked. You mentally snorted as you caught him trying to 'discretely' look at your exposed legs. Key word: trying. "Umm…I don't know. I think we had a little too much to drink." Ashley giggled, stumbling over to the man on the left. 'So, that's the plan? Act drunk?' you thought disbelievingly, but mentally shrugged anyway. You purposely stumbled into the guard in front of you, making sure your chests were flush against each other. You giggled. "Whoops. Sorry." you said, slurring your words together.

"Wow, your so strong!" Hana said, lightly squeezing one of the man's arms, like she was feeling his muscles. The man purposely flexed his muscles, trying to show off. 'Cocky bastard.' you thought, steeling a glance at him. "Is it hard having to be stuck here guarding this door, while you watch everyone else partying and drinking? Why don't you guys come have a drink with us?" Hana said, feigning drunken innocence. Ah, the ever famous 'dumb blond' act. Hana's specialty. You know, it's a wonder why everyone falls for it so easily? I'm mean, Hana is one of the smartest people you've ever met, but they buy it every time.

"Sorry, but we can't leave our post." the guard said, with an important air about him. 'Yep. Definitely a cocky bastard.' you mentally snorted. "Oh, come on! Just one drink!" Hana pouted. "One drink isn't going to kill you, is it?" you said leaning in even more. You slowly lifted up one leg, letting it rest against his side. He gulped audibly. 'Heh, men.' you thought mentally rolling your eyes. You could see him trying to resist. He brought his hand up, grabbing the back of you exposed thigh, albeit a little higher up than you would have liked. But you just gritted you teeth and put on a fake smile. Seeing this was your chance to fully get his attention and allow Tori entrance into the room, you acted.

You leaned your hips forward, rapping your leg completely around his, and grinded your hips against his. He gasped slightly, and you sighed softly, seeing Tori successfully sneak in. You suddenly heard a crash and Tori curse in your earpiece. The guards head snapped towards the door and you panicked. Before he could say anything to the other guards, you grabbed his face and crashed your lips onto his in a tight kiss. You screwed your eyes shut. 'Hurry up, Tori!' You could faintly hear Tori's deft hands move mechanically across the keyboard, as she memorized the information on the computer screen. _"And…done! I'm coming out!_" Tori said. By now the guard was kissing back, his hand that was on your thigh moving further up, under the hem of your dress, while his other moved to your back, and started trailing south. You shivered slightly in disgust, though he took it as pleasure and grinned against your lips.

"_I'm out!"_ Tori whispered. You pried your eyes open just in time to see flowing onyx hair, disappear behind the corner. You pulled back just before the guard had a chance to grope you butt. "Sorry to kiss and run but our friend is probably looking for us." You slurred slightly. Hana and Ashley broke off from their own kisses and walked after you, making sure to sway your hips to avoid suspicion. "What was that? Kissing them, really?" Ashley quietly seethed at you. _"You what? I said use your bodies, not your mouths!" _Nami gritted out through clenched teeth.

"It was Kira's idea!" Hana defended herself and Ashley. _"What? Kira? You're the last person I would expect that from! Why would you do that?" _Nami yelled. Unbeknownst to you guys, Nami was glancing wearily at Zoro, Ace (who had finally woken up), and Shanks, who had dark looks in their eyes. "I didn't have a choice! I wouldn't have had to if Tori didn't make so much noise!" you whispered, as people around you started looking at you funny.

"Oh, yeah! You practically gave the dude a lap dance! I didn't think there would be a box right in front of the door! Excuse me if I tripped!" Tori defended herself this time. "Well, what did you want me to do? The dude was stubborn! I had to get his attention off of you somehow!" you snapped, quietly. "Yeah, that's why his hand was up your dress!" Ashley seethed. All your tempers were flaring and when you have four moody teenage (and one 25 year old) girls, trouble ensures.

"Well, it's not like I put it there!" You directed your anger on Ashley this time, as you all made it out of the building and towards the road to the ship. "_Guys! Deal with it when you get on the ship and away from marines!"_ Nami snapped. Then Nami sighed. _"You got the info, right Tori?"_ she asked. "Yep. Right here." Tori said, tapping her forehead. _"Okay. Now hurry up!" _Nami screamed. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Let's go!" Ashley said running off towards the ship. "Easy for you to say! You're not wearing heels!" you screamed, stumbling over your feet, forgetting that Ashley was in fact actually wearing heels higher than your own. "Oh, suck it up!" she said, continuing to run.

You stumbled one last time, before finally cursing and kicking them off your feet. You kicked them up and caught them. You could finally run freely, now. But, your lucky friends, that either weren't wearing high heels or were used to them, got ahead of you. You picked up your pace, feeling the sharp edges of rocks scrape against your bare skin. You looked ahead, seeing the ship getting closer and closer as you caught up to your friends. _"Hurry! We're about to leave!"_ You heard Nami scream. "There! There's the bitch that knocked me out!" You recognized the voice as the guard at the front.

"Guys, we have a problem!" you called, skidding to a stop. You winced as a particularly sharp rock cut your foot. You turned around to see about twenty guards, including the one you knocked out as well as the three guards you 'distracted'. The rest of the crew came out and was standing next to you guys.

"Her? She's probably too drunk to know what she was doing, let alone resist capture." said the guard you distracted. You glanced at everyone, your look saying 'let me handle this.' You stumbled drunkenly over to the guard, smirking all the while. "Come back for more? Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private." you said seductively, wrapping your arms around the guards neck. You pulled the blushing man into the wood, smirking. "That's her idea?" Zoro growled, lowly. "Don't worry, Zoro. She can handle herself." Hana said, smiling sympathetically at the pissed swordsman.

'I know that. But that doesn't mean I like it any less.' Zoro seethed in his head. But, sure enough a dull 'thud' was heard. After a while, you emerged from the woods, looking more than a little disheveled. Your hair was messed up, loose strands falling out of your pony-tail. Your lip gloss was slightly smeared, and if you turned around they could see your dress unzipped about a third of the way down.

You straightened out the hem of your dress, trying to look dignified, like you didn't just seduce a guard in the woods before knocking him unconscious. You calmly went over and stood beside Zoro. "See! She's a devil!" The front guard said. You shrugged. "Not my fault he couldn't handle it." you smirked. "Ready men!" he screamed, taking out a gun and pointing it at you. You glanced at your fellow mermaids, who nodded in agreement.

Tori stepped forward, and the rest of your crew looked at her questioningly. She reached down and removed the extra fabric from her dress at about mid-thigh, revealing shorts that she can easily fight in. She smirked and took out her guns from their holsters she keeps on the inside of her thighs. She gave them a twirl, holding them at the ready.

Ashley stepped up next, removing the extra material at her waist, to show Capri leggings. She grabbed a small pole from the inside of her leg, and pressed a button to extend it to her full sized bow staff. She twirled it and slammed it into the ground, smirking just like Tori.

Next was Hana. She reached into her sash and pulled out a shrunken bow, and pressed a button to un-shrink it. She did the same thing to her clutch, which turned into a quiver holder and arrows. She took a wider stance, ripping the slit on her dress up to her hip, exposing shorts that went to her knees. She carefully aimed at her opponents, ready to fire. Finally, you stepped up, smirking all the while.

You slowly removed our belt, removing the bottom half of your dress, revealing tight shorts that went about a quarter of the way down your thigh. The folds of your dress resting on your shorts, fluttered in the wind, and your smirk widened slightly. 'Strong wind. Strong attacks.' you thought. The folds of your dress were discreetly hiding your scabbards and katanas. You took them out, giving them a twirl. "Bring it." you said simply.

The front guard growled and fired three rounds at you. You easily sliced the first two bullets cleanly in half, and deflected the last one. 'Remind me to thank Zoro for these.' you thought, admiring how the swords fit perfectly in your hands, like they were made just for you. You silently wondered how Zoro knew about that. You glanced around to find everyone locked in battle. Sanji dealt powerful kicks to the guards knocking them away from Nami and Robin. Though, they didn't need the help, in your opinion. Robin sprouted hands out of the ground tripping the guards, causing them to shoot their comrades.

Nami used a sort of bow staff ( Which you faintly heard her call her 'clima-tact.') that caused clouds to form over the guards heads, and shot them down with lightning. Usopp and Chopper were fighting back to back. Usopp used a sling shot to shoot ammo at the guards, while Chopper changed into something he called his 'heavy point', which looked kind of like a big bear with antlers.

He used his brute strength to slam the guards' heads together. Luffy and Tori were fighting together. She would pull out a grenade from her sash, and while the guards were disorientated, Luffy would stretch his arm back and punch them, sending them flying. Then you had Ashley and Shanks. Ashley would hit them over the head, and Shanks would cut them down with the sword he keeps at his hip. Ace and Hana went together, naturally. Hana would shoot them down, and then Ace would burn them. You smiled at how well they all worked together.

"What are you smiling about?" a guard screamed, charging at you. You turned to him and were shocked to be met with the sight of a guard charging straight at you, sword raised, ready to strike. And you didn't have time to dodge! You tried to raise your own swords to block, but it felt like you were frozen in place. You shut your eyes tight, waiting to be struck down. You don't know why you froze. You could have easily dropped down and rolled out of the way, but your body wouldn't move. Your body tensed as you waited but the blow never came. Instead you heard the familiar clatter of sword against sword.

But, they weren't your swords, so who-? You looked up to see Zoro standing in front of you, all three of his swords drawn, defending you. You looked shocked for a moment, before smiling lightly at him. "Thanks." you said, softly. Zoro pushed the guard back a couple of feet. "No problem." he said, his voice, surprisingly, not muffled much by his Wado in his mouth. You saw another guard try to come at Zoro from behind and you quickly sliced him down. "Thanks." he said, shocked. "No problem." you smirked. You took a look around to see the guards sliced, beat up, or burned. You smiled at the sight. "Ahhhhh!" You heard a great war cry. You turned around to see another large group of marines charging at you. "Alright. No more messing around!" you said. You, Tori, Ashley, and Hana stepped forward. "You guys stay back." Ashley said. "Ready?" Tori asked, pointing her guns at the marines. "Ready." the rest of you coursed, aiming your own weapons at them. The crews eyes grew wide as your own eyes started to glow. Hana's gold, Ashley, violet, Tori, burnt orange, and you, ice blue. The light just consumed the whole eye. The pupil, the iris, everything.

Thunder clouds started forming. A strong wind blew against you, ruffling your hair. The ocean started turning violently, rocking the ship. Sea creatures rose to the surface, letting out their own unique cries. The designs on your weapons started glowing the same colors as your eyes, brightly. "What's going on?" Nami screamed as lightning struck down. Each of you raised your weapons, poised to strike.

"Mizu staff!" (water staff.) Ashley cried, swinging her staff forward. A stream of water rose from the ocean and swirled around Ashley before collecting at the tip of her staff. With a thrust of her wrist, the water shot forward like needles, piercing strait through the marines' bodies.

Hana raised her hand just as lightning struck down on her. "Hana!" Ace cried. When the flash subsided, it revealed Hana standing there, perfectly fine, a lightning bolt in hand. She raised her bow and tucked the lightning bolt in it, like it was an arrow. "Inazuma bow!" ( lightning bow.) She cried, as she released it. The lightning bolt shot off, and separated into smaller lightning bolts. It went straight through the marines, frying them from the inside, out.

Tori raised her guns, and the sea creatures started crying with all there might. "Oto no nami bullet!" ( sound wave bullet.) Tori shouted, firing her guns off. You could visibly see the sound waves coming from the sea creatures voices collide with Tori's body and her bullets. It pushed the bullets faster and faster forward, to the point where no naked eye could see them. They went straight through the guards and continued on through the next and then the next, being pushed on by the sound waves.

The wind whipped violently around you and through your hair. The rest of the crew had to squint to be able to see, as the wind stung their eyes. You raised your swords in front of you as the wind started swirling around your body. Your body levitated a couple inches off the ground, just by the sheer force of the wind. "Kaze Katanas!" (wind katanas) you whispered, your voice being carried on by the wind. You spun around and slashed your swords down in an X.

The force continued on, slashing the marines as if they were each slashed by your own swords directly. As the last of the guards fell, the sea creatures descended back down to the oceans depths, the water's surface calmed, the thunder clouds broke apart, and the wind calmed down to a gentle breeze. Your eyes faded back to their original state as you put your weapons away. You stumbled slightly as your feet were put back on solid ground.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Luffy shouted, running up to Tori. He picked her up around the waist and spun her around. She giggled softly, holding onto his shoulders to stable herself. "You scared me, you know." Ace told Hana, hugging her to him tightly. "I'm sorry." she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "That was amazing, lass." Shanks said to Ashley, wrapping his one arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She gently laid her hands on his broad chest. "Thank you." she said with a light smile. You looked at your friends happily.

"Well, I think that turned out great." you said glancing at the fallen marines. You turned back to your crew and gave them a dazzling ( in Zoro's opinion) smile. They smiled back at you before their faces turned to one of horror. You gave them a confused look before the sound of a gunshot reverberated through the air. Your eyes widened as the metal bullet ripped through the side of your arm, lodging itself in it. The burning sensation you felt was excruciating. You stumbled forward clutching the wound, as blood seeped through your fingers.

You slowly turned around to see a guard sneer. "Rot in hell, bitch." was the last thing he said with his final breath. You fell to your knees from the pain. You could hear the blood pump through your ears, drowning out most sounds from the outside world. Dark spots clouded your vision from the pain. You've been stabbed, sliced, beaten up, knocked out, and almost raped. But you have never been shot. And it hurt like a bitch.

Zoro was by your side in a split second. "Are you okay?" he asked, worriedly. "Yeah." you panted. But it was obviously a lie as you fell forward, into Zoro's arms. "Come on" he said picking you up bridal style, being careful with your arm. You shut your eyes tight, praying the burning would go away. You bit your lip in pain. Zoro looked down at you and flinched. Unlike before, when you bit your lip on the ship, and Zoro was filled with warmth, this time, it made his blood run cold. "You're going to be fine. Chopper's going to fix you up and you'll be fine. I'll be by you the whole time." Zoro whispered in your ear, trying to reassure you and himself at the same time.

"It hurts." you whimpered, burring your face in his chest. "I know." he sighed sadly, kissing your temple, as if that simple act would make all the pain in the world away. Zoro brought you to the ship's infirmary and laid you down on the bed. He looked down and noticed you fell into a light, painful sleep. He kissed the top of your head and grabbed your hand. Chopper walked in, frantically preparing for the surgery to remove the bullet from your arm.

"Zoro, I'm sorry but you have to leave." Zoro shook his head. "I promised her I wouldn't leave her." he said to chopper, not taking his eyes off of your face. " I'm sorry but you have to leave." Chopper said again, this time a little more forcefully. Zoro shook his head again and was about to protest, when chopper suddenly turned into his heavy point, grabbed Zoro by the back of his shirt, and placed him outside the door. "I'm sorry, but I need room to work." Chopper slammed the door and locked it behind him. Zoro pounded his fist on the door once before un-clenching his fist, and letting his hand slide down the length of the wood, his eyes screwed shut, brows furrowed. "Damn." he muttered under his breath.

He reluctantly walked away from the door, and onto the deck. He looked up at the clear, blue sky, the wheather mirroring the exact opposite of what he was feeling. "Damn." He breathed out, again, running a hand through his spiky, green hair. "Hey, you okay?" Zoro's head whipped around at the sound of Hana's voice. She was coming up to him with Ace, his arm wrapped around her waist, protectively. "Yeah." Zoro said, but it didn't sound too convincing. Hana smiled, knowingly, and sadly. "She'll be fine. She's strong." she said. Zoro could see she's been thinking about it as well. Ace gave her a comforting kiss on the cheek, and she smiled, lightly. Hana leaned into his embrace, her head resting on his shoulder as Ace lead her away. 'I know she's strong, but, I still can't help but worry about her.' Zoro thought, sighing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Just wanted to say thanks for all of the support**

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**With Hana**

Hana sighed, tears building up in her eyes. "Hey, don't worry. Like you said to Zoro, Kira's strong. She'll be fine." Ace said, kneeling in front of her, taking her hands, and kissing them. Hana looked down at him, before launching herself into his arms, hugging him tight. He stumbled back a little before righting himself and hugging her back. Tears leaked down her porcelain face. "I know she's okay. But, I've never seen her in so much pain before. She's been stabbed, and she just smiled and put up with it. It's just not very comforting to see your 'sister' in that much pain. And now I feel bad. We did nothing but snap at each other on our way back from the ball." Hana mumbled into his chest. "I know. Everything will be alright though, okay?" Ace said, kissing the top of her head. "Thanks, Ace." Hana said, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Ace just held her tighter.

**With Ashley**

Ashley sat down against the railing, her back to the ocean. Her eyes were closed, but you could see the feint traces of tear marks down her cheeks. "Are you okay, lass?" Shanks asked. Ashley shook her head. She opened her red, puffy, blood-shot eyes, and looked at him. "Am I a bad person? Was I not strong enough?" She asked. Shanks was shocked at her sudden questions. "What brought this on?" he asked, though he knew the answer. "Kira. I'm her 'big sister' yet I couldn't protect her from a lousy gun! I should always be able to protect my 'sisters' and I couldn't! I'm the worst-!" Ashley was cut off by Shanks' lips crashing down on hers. "Don't worry. You were strong enough. But, you can't protect them from everything. Don't you ever think you're not good enough." he said after their kiss. Ashley buried her face in his chest and cried. "Thank you." she mumbled. "No problem, lass." Shanks said, still holding her. He kissed the top of her head and just let her cry on his shoulder.

**With Tori**

Tori sat by the railing, on the other end of the ship, silently crying. "Tori? Are you okay?" Luffy asked, sitting next to her. "No." she said then sighed. "I always kind of thought that Kira was indestructible, you know? She went through so much without even flinching. It's hard to believe that a simple piece of metal can cause her so much pain and reduce her to tears." Tori said through her own tears. Luffy looked worried. He's not used to seeing Tori without a smile on her face, and he decided he didn't like it. Not one bit.

He wrapped a rubber arm around Tori's shoulder, pulling her to his chest. "Hey, stop crying. You look prettier when you smile." Luffy said to her, trying to cheer her up. Tori wiped away some of her tears, smiled lightly. "Much better." Luffy smiled, kissing her cheek. Tori blushed, ever-so-slightly, and leaned her head on his shoulder. Luffy leaned his head on top of hers. "No more crying, okay?" Luffy whispered to her. "Okay." Luffy kissed her cheek again, before shifting his position so Tori was sitting in his lap, resting her back against Luffy's chest, his legs on either side of her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she placed her hand against his. She leaned back against Luffy and sighed. Luffy reached up and wiped the rest of her tears away.

"Thank you, Luffy." Tori tilted her head back, to look Luffy in the eyes. Luffy grabbed the sides of her face and tilted her head farther back, while he tilted his down so his lips hovered over hers. Tori gulped silently, and her breath hitched in her throat. She stared at Luffy's throat, watching his Adam's apple bob slightly, as he gulped. Luffy leaned the rest of the way down and planted a sweet, innocent kiss on her lips.

Tori melted into the kiss. She grabbed the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. She fisted her hands into his hair, his signature straw hat resting against his back, hanging from his neck by a leather cord. When they finally pulled away, Tori sighed contently. "Wow." she sighed. "Yeah." Luffy breathed. Luffy crossed his legs, as Tori scooted down and rested her head in his lap. Luffy ran his fingers through Tori's hair, slightly massaging her scalp. Tori smiled up at him, before closing her eyes and slowly drifting to sleep, lulled by Luffy's actions. "Sweet dreams, Tori." Luffy whispered, planting a kiss on her forehead, before leaning back against the railing and drifting to sleep, himself.

**With Kira**

Black. Darkness. Nothingness. You were surrounded by it. 'Man, I didn't think a bullet would hurt this much.' you thought. Light started leaking into your line of vision. Your eyes fluttered open. Momentarily blinded by the bright light, you squinted your eyes. Once your vision got readjusted to the light, you opened them fully to see Chopper fiercely grinding herbs and preparing a needle. "What's going on?" you groaned. Copper visibly jumped at your voice. "K-Kira!" he said surprised, and then looked sad. "What's wrong?" you asked. He didn't say anything, but put the herb paste in the needle along with some clear liquid. He walked over to you and prepared your arm. You stared at him as he injected the needle into your arm.

You didn't even flinch. He bandaged the point of impact, but still didn't say anything. "Chopper? You're scaring me, a little." you said, nervously. "Kira, that bullet wasn't an actual bullet. It was a capsule." he said looking down. "What? What do you mean?" you asked, not understanding where this was going. Chopper sighed sadly and continued to explain. "It contained a deadly poison. I just gave you something to help with it." he still didn't meet your eyes. "How long till the cure takes effect." you asked, surprisingly calm. "That's the thing. There is no cure." he said, finally looking into your eyes. Your breath caught in your throat. "What do you mean 'there is no cure'? Then what did you just give me?" you said, slightly anxious. "It slows down the flow of your blood. It makes it so it takes longer for the poison to take effect. But, from now on you can't do anything too strenuous." he said in a serious tone.

"So no more sparing. Or fighting." you sighed sadly. "Okay. But, just do me a favor, don't tell anyone. I don't want anyone to treat me differently." you mumbled. "Sure." Chopper smiled sadly, tears coming to his eyes. "Can I go see Zoro?" you asked with pleading eyes. He nodded, hesitatingly. "Thanks Chopper." You gave him a hug before walking outside.

You took a deep breath, savoring the sweet, salty sea spray. "Kira? Kira!" you turned around to be tackled by Tori in a hug. You flinched, involuntarily, and she quickly let go. You gave her a small smile. "Kira!" "You're okay!" You saw Hana and Ashley running towards you. "Hey guys. What's up?" you asked, like nothing happened. "You're okay, right?" Ashley asked, looking you over. "Never been better." you said, flexing a muscle, trying to reassure her. "Umm…where's Zoro?" you asked, causing them to smirk. "He's right over there." Hana said, pointing to around the corner. "Thanks." You said, walking away.

You rounded the corner to see Zoro slumped against the railing. You walked up behind him and smiled softly. "Hey." you said in almost whisper. He jumped and swiveled around to face you. "Kira!" he exclaimed in that deep voice you loved so much. You smiled at him as he moved to engulf you in a hug. Your smile faltered as he hesitated upon seeing your bandaged arm. You sighed and hugged him around his waist. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to him.

"You had me so worried. Do you know how scared I was?" You heard the strain in his voice as he whispered in your ear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." You sighed as Zoro buried his face in the junction between your neck and shoulder. His slightly labored breathing sent shivers down your spine as it made contact with your bare skin. You hugged him tighter, as if he would disappear if you let go. "Well, you're okay now. That's all that matters. God, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't okay." he breathed out.

He ran his fingers through your hair, taking out your hair tie in one quick stroke. Your dark brown hair formed a curtain around your face, hiding any expression that could have been shone. Not that Zoro could have seen it, anyway. "Yeah." you replied half-heartedly. You lifted your head and looked into his dark eyes. They were tired, but happy. You gave him a small, almost sad, smile. You hated keeping a secret this big from him, from anyone, but, in your mind, you had no choice. You didn't want anyone to treat you differently just because you were going to die. You didn't want to be buried six feet under before you were even dead yet. You've seen it happen before, and you weren't too keen on the idea of it happening to you.

So, you decided you were going to make the most of the time you had left. You leaned up and tilted your head to the side, slightly. You were about to plant a kiss on his lips, when you were interrupted, yet again. You growled slightly and turned towards your hyper-active captain. Zoro chuckled slightly at you, and you sent him a half-hearted glare. "Yes, capt'n?" you said, but alas, he didn't hear the annoyance in your voice. "Play for us, will you?" he asked, walking on deck, his hand clasped securely in Tori's. He walked away, before you could answer. "Well, I guess I got to go." you sighed. You gave Zoro a peck on the cheek, before reluctantly leaving.

**Time skip**

The whole crew gathered around you and your fellow mermaids. "Kira? Are you sure you're okay to be playing?" Nami asked, eyeing the flute case in your hand. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm not going to be playing my flute anyway." you said, setting your case aside. "Huh? You're not? Then what-" you cut Usopp off by just walking into your room. "Did she do that on purpose?" he asked the rest of the crew, to find out nobody cared. "What's going on, lass?" Shanks asked Ashley who was messing with the setting on her keyboard. The keyboard was metallic silver with a violet, wave design on the front. She just smiled at him and said "You'll see."

Hana came out of her room, wheeling a drum set behind her. (It was on a raised platform with wheels on the bottom.) She locked it in place and sat down at the stool, her silver drum sticks in hand. The drum set was metallic-like silver (Just like Ashley's keyboard) with a golden lightning bolt on the bass drum. Hana smiled at the looks of the crew when the figured out what was going on.

Tori came out next, her silver bass guitar strapped over her shoulder. It had a burnt orange trident design on the side. (Are you seeing a pattern here?) Finally you emerged from your room, wheeling an amplifier on deck, your silver electric guitar strapped over your shoulder and resting on your back. The ice blue wind design gleamed brightly in the sun. You hooked up your guitar to the amplifier and stood in line with Tori, in front of and to the right of Hana, and diagonal with Ashley.

"Cool! You guys didn't tell us you could play more than one instrument!" Luffy shouted. "You didn't ask." Tori giggled. He sent a playful glare in her direction. "Alright. Let's play!" Hana said. She clicked her drum sticks together four times, and then she started out with the beat. After performing _'Love is a Battlefield'_ (By: Christina Aguilera) you took a deep breath and waited for the opinion of your crew. It was about a two second delay before they burst out clapping and cheering. "Wow! That was awesome!" Luffy shouted at you guys, though his eyes never left Tori's.

You took deep, labored breaths, trying to fulfill your lungs need for more oxygen. Singing never left you out of breath quite like this before. Your face was flushed and sweat collected on your forehead. You felt clammy and just plain terrible. "Kira? Are you okay? You don't look too good." You couldn't hear Nami at all; all you could hear was the blood pounding in your ears. "Kira?" Again no response. You glanced at the ocean. It always made you feel better before, so why not now? "Kira? I think I should get you to my office." Choppers worry fell on deft ears, as you stumbled over to the railing. You looked down at the sea, and suddenly you were hit with a wave of vertigo. Your vision swam in front of your eyes as you practically threw yourself into the water. "Kira!" Zoro called, rushing to the side of the ship, trying to spot you.

Water rushed around you, the salt, for once, burning your eyes. You willed yourself to turn into your mermaid form and looked down, expecting to see your shimmery, ice blue tail, but the fuzzy image of your legs were still there. 'Oh, come on!' you thought as you tried again. Your efforts were futile, however, as your legs remained the same. You just then, suddenly realized how cold the water was.

In fact, it was freezing! Your teeth started chattering and you could almost feel your lips turning blue. Your lungs started burning as you kicked upward as fast as you could. Your legs felt stiff in the cold, and it was dragging you back down to the blue depths. You finally broke the surface, gulping in as much air as possible. "G-Guys? W-We got a-a-a pro-problem." you said stuttering from the cold.

You looked up to see your crew looking down at you. Your eyes locked with Zoro's for a moment, and your look said one thing: 'Help me.' Luffy stretched his arms and lifted you up high in the air, before dropping you in Zoro's awaiting arms. You shut your eyes tight, snuggling closer into Zoro's chest, searching for heat. "What in the world possessed you to do that?" Chopper screamed at you, in his 'doctor mode', looking you over for any injuries. "T-The water a-always made me f-feel b-better before! B-But I c-couldn't even ch-ch-change!" you stuttered.

Zoro pulled you even closer to him, sharing his heat, and fulfilling his need to hold you. Your eyes became heavy, as you slowly started to drift to sleep. "Zoro, get her to my office, now!" Chopper said, shuffling his way to the infirmary. Zoro was right behind him, you in his arms. Zoro gently placed you under the covers of the bed that you have become way too familiar with. You snuggled under the warm covers, thankful for the heat. Your teeth stopped chattering completely, and your lips started to gain their color back.

"What's wrong with her, Chopper?" Zoro demanded, more than asked. He looked at your sleeping face, and his eyes softened. Chopper sighed and grabbed a needle he had already prepared for you. He lightly grasped your arm and injected the substance into your system. You unconsciously flinched at the impact. "She doesn't want me to tell you." he whispered. "What do you mean she doesn't want you to tell me? Chopper, What's wrong with her?" Zoro all but yelled.

Chopper flinched back at his tone. Zoro sighed. "I'm sorry, Chopper. I just care too much about her to not know what's causing her so much pain." Zoro ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay, Chopper." you said, sitting up. "Kira! I thought you were asleep!" You just smiled at the doctor. "Chopper, do you think I can tell him by myself?" you asked. Chopper nodded and left the room Zoro sat down at the edge of your bed. "Kira, what's wrong?" he asked, gently. You sighed and started telling him what Chopper told you. When you finished you looked up into his eyes. They stared blankly at the bed's headboard. "Zoro?" you asked. He didn't answer. "Zor-" you were cut off by Zoro almost tackling you in a hug. "Why the hell did you not tell me? God, Kira." Zoro whispered in your ear. "I'm sorry." you clung to him tightly. "I-I just-. I don't know. I was scared." you sighed, pulling away to look at him. "Scared of what? You know you can tell me anything." he said, putting his hands on either side of your face

"I didn't want you to treat me any differently. You know, I wanted everything to stay the same." tears started building up in your eyes. Your hands fisted into his shirt, as you closed your eyes tight. You tilted your head down, letting tears fall down your face, wetting the covers under you. Zoro sighed looking at you. "I'm not going to lie to you…I probably would treat you differently-" at this more tears ran down your face and you choked back a sob. Zoro lifted your face to look at him.

"But, that's because I care about you. I just want you to be happy, and safe." He wiped some of the tears away. "Don't cry, please. I hate it when you cry." Zoro brought you in closer to him. You tried to stop the tears that just kept flowing. "Zoro I-" Zoro cut you off by crashing his lips onto yours. Your eyes widened, as you stared at Zoro's face, before your own eyes fluttered closed.

You clung tightly to Zoro, savoring every minute of the kiss you waited so long to get. Zoro placed one hand on the small of your back while his other fingered you brunet locks. Your arms reached up and you threaded your fingers through his hair. "Kira! Are you ok-." Hana said, opening the door. She cut herself off, seeing you in Zoro's lap, 'sucking face', as Tori would say. Apparently you didn't hear, or just decided to ignore her in your moment of bliss. Hana slowly backed out, closing the door behind her, a smirk clear on her face. "Good for you, Kira." she whispered to herself.

You broke off the kiss, panting for sweet air. "Wow." you whispered in a daze. Your eyes were glazed over, and your mouth was parted slightly, as your chest heaved up and down, trying to take in much needed air. It took all Zoro's power not to kiss you senseless all over again. "I don't want you to get hurt. That's why I would treat you differently. I would look out for you, even more, now. Please don't be mad at me." Zoro said, resting his forehead against yours. "How could I. Especially after that." you whispered, tucking your head under Zoro's chin, snuggling into his chest. "Good." he said, placing a tender kiss on the top of your head.

"Kira! We're here!" You heard Nami's voice from across the deck. You reluctantly pulled away from Zoro, and stood up. You offered him a hand up and he took it with a rare smile on his face. You pulled him up and you both headed out on deck, hand in hand. You gazed out at the island and fear struck you. Zoro looked at you from the corner of his eye and noticed your terrified look. He gave your hand a reassuring squeeze, letting you know he wasn't going anywhere. As you felt his hand tighten around yours, reassurance flooded your body. You glanced at Hana, Ashley, and Tori, to see their reactions. Sadness. Anger. Fear. You sighed looking back at the island. You promised them you they would never have to go back. And now, here you were. You slipped out of Zoro's grasp, and made your way over to them. "Guys." you said softly, breaking them out of there trances. "I now I promised we would never come back, but I already made a promise to myself to save Gail, no matter what. If you don't want to come, I won't-."

"Don't even think about it! There is no way on Earth we are letting you go back there by yourself. Gail is our friend too. We're all in this together, Kira." Ashley said, stepping up. You could see the anger cast out of her eyes, replaced by determination. Hana and Tori nodded in agreement behind her. You smiled at them and turned back to the island. Your 'home' for two years. The very island that the marines kept you imprisoned in, to torture your mermaid forms for 'research'.

A chill ran down your spine, and you closed your eyes as the painful memories flooded back to you. You could almost feel the pain of your tail being slashed, the ice blue scales being stained red. The sharp scalpels slicing open your torso and back. The screams of your friends from the next room. Your own screams reverberating around you, echoing off the steel walls. The terrible feeling of being helpless.

You were brought out of your thoughts by Zoro shaking you lightly by the shoulders. You looked up at his worried face. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." he said. You wiped the cold sweat off your brow and took deep breaths, trying to bring the color back to your now pale face. "Yeah, fine." you said. Zoro, sensing your distress, grabbed your hand and placed a light kiss on the back of it. You smiled lightly at him and took a deep breath. "Let's go." you whispered.

**With Gail-Finally!**

Gail closed her eyes and sighed, trying to channel her energy. She took deep breaths and concentrated. You could call her a sort of, psychic, if you will. If she concentrates hard enough, she can see visions of the past, present, and future. There's only one minor glitch. She doesn't know when they took, or will take, place. Gail sighed, and cursed under her breath.

"Damn it, Kira. I swear I'm going to slap you one of these days." Gail just saw you getting shot with a pistol, and then the scene faded into one of a little creature telling you were poisoned. She sighed once more, and reached into her shirt, to pull out a vile filled with a green liquid, attached to a silver chain around her neck. "You're so damn lucky I still have some left." Gail mumbled to herself.

As you said earlier, Gail was one of your closest friends. But, at first glance, no one would ever guess it. You had slightly tanned skin, freckles, dark brown eyes, and dark brown hair that was almost always kept up in a high pony-tail. Gail was practically the complete opposite. She had fiery red, curly hair, that draped over her back elegantly, and sweet, golden eyes to match. Her flawless caramel-colored skin went perfectly with her hair and she always wore a little make up, being the stylish designer she was.

Where you wore baggy, black, cargo pants, with chains hanging from the belt loops, and black combat boots, she wore a pink and black, plaid skirt, that went to her mid-thigh. Under that, she wore black leggings that went to her mid shin and black, high-heeled boots that went just above her knee. Where you had two silver katanas strapped to your back in an X, she had a silver whip, with a bright white crescent moon design on the hilt, resting on her right hip.

And finally, while you wore a black, hooded muscle shirt, Gail wore a pink and white tank-top, that exposed her mid-drift. She also wore big, silver hoop earrings, and matching silver bangles. The only thing that you had in common, at a first glance, was you both had a belly button ring. It the same dolphin, you had; only the eye on hers, instead of being amethyst, was emerald. You both got them together a couple years back. It was a sign of your friendship.

"So, what did you see, Gail?" a little mouse came over and plopped herself in front of Gail's crossed legs. "Nothing, Julie. It's just Kira being an idiot again." Gail responded. She propped her elbow up on her knee, and rested her chin on her open palm. "Ooh, what this time? Sword? Gun? Claws? Teeth? Dagger? Bow?" Julie asked, counting off the weapons on her little fingers. "Poison." "Oh, that's a new one." Julie said, with a giggle. As she was talking, the little mouse started glowing a bright, light orange.

When the blinding light faded, and young girl, about seventeen, stood in her place. She had long, pin strait black hair, and dark brown eyes. In fact, she looked almost exactly like Tori! The only difference is Julie's a total prep. She wore a light orange, spaghetti strap tank top, and a bright green mini skirt. Her long hair was up in a half pony-tail, and she had on light makeup. Finally, she had on light orange, wedge sandals, that showed off her orange anklet, that matched Tori's. And she had a silver samurai sword, strapped diagonally across her back.

"Yup, she and the other girls are on their way to come and get us out of this hell hole." Gail said. "Sweet! I can't wait to see Tori again!" Julie squealed. "Calm down, Julie." Gail giggled, flicking a strand of her curly, fire red hair out of her face, revealing her laughing golden eyes. "Sorry, I just miss her so much." Julie sighed. "I know. And I miss them too, but we'll get out of here soon enough." Gail said, smoothing out her skirt. She sighed and said, "I just wish they would hurry up."


End file.
